It’s hard not to associate agency life with adrenaline- and coffee-fuelled early starts and late evenings.
Relentless races from one deadline to the next, striving to deliver excellence for our clients all day, every day.
And yes, sometimes we need to pull out all the stops to get the job done, which can mean going above and beyond.
It’s just the nature of our business.
However, when this becomes the norm, it’s not good for anyone, and certainly won’t create a productive culture with fresh creative thinking, innovation, and award-winning work.
At Genesis, we understand the importance of having a healthy culture that nurtures and supports.
A happy team means a happy workplace, more collaboration, more creativity, and better results for us and most importantly our clients.
For World Mental Health Day, we’ve pulled together some top tips on what you can do to help get the work-life balance right:
Tip 1. Check in: whether you’re in the office or working from home, regularly check in with your teammates.
Teams have video call check-ins every morning to talk about what’s on that day, but also to have a bit of the craic that you can miss when you’re working from home.
Tip 2. Take a break: it’s easy to work through your lunch or power on all day, but research shows that regularly scheduled breaks help the mind recharge, so you can come back more focused and productive.
Tip 3. Plan: think ahead to anticipate bottlenecks. If necessary, find a member of your team to support you.
Tip 4. Schedule: allocate some time every day for focus time. It’s tempting to stop what you’re doing and answer the every email that pings in.
But doing this breaks your concentration, which makes it harder to get back into the task you were working on.
Tip 5. Take notice: often we are looking at a screen all day. Sit near a window, get fresh air and reconnect with the outside world from time to time during the day.
Stepping outside at break times can really boost your energy.
Tip 6. Book some leave: whether it’s a staycation or something further afield, get some time off booked in the diary for something to look forward to.
Always make the most of your annual leave so you get an opportunity to unwind and recharge.
Tip 7. Me time: spend some time every day doing something just for you.
It might be getting out with the dog like our Creative Director Daz, or a game of badminton like our Media Director Wendy.
Try to do something every day that makes you happy.
Tip 8. Get active: there’s no better way to lift your mood and get rid of some stress than exercise, whether it’s a walk, cycle or run.
Tip 9. Speak out: if you are finding things tough, speak to your manager or a trusted colleague.
A problem shared is a problem halved, so don’t suffer in silence.
For more advice on minding your head in the workplace, visit Work | Minding Your Head