Supposedly public relations as a career ranks up there with police officer, firefighter and emergency responder in regards to stress. Long hours, demanding clients, crisis management and constant surprises will do that to you. There is a reason people burn out so quickly in this field. It is hard and, frankly, the pay isn’t all that great. If you are looking to make a cool million, we suggest you explore other options.
There are ways to manage the ups and downs of agency life (in other words: deal with the ongoing and ever-present stress). Here are a couple tips from #Team834… they seem to work decently for us.
1) Support network. Get one. Surround yourself with others in the industry that experience the same trials you do everyday. Choose wisely; you never know when the need for a beer and some “therapy” will be needed.
2) Sweat. Yep, sweat. May we suggest, Allegro Coaching? Twice a week they show up to our office and run us through 45 minutes of exercises that leave us stinky, sore and significantly less stressed. Bonus perk: great team-building. There is nothing like watching your coworkers sweat, grunt and look ill.
3) Laugh. Try not to take yourself too seriously. We make sure to take time each day to mock a fellow coworker, enjoy Bode-isms or just catch up on weekend escapades.
4) Class Trips. Plan outings where you do not talk about work and actually allow yourself to unwind (if even just a teensy bit). Just last week #Team834 took a field trip to Celebration Cinema! to watch Gone Girl, a favorite book in our office. Ask us how we liked it… just don’t ask Kim.
5) Retreat. This goes along with number four. Grab the team and get away for a few nights. Play some games, share stories and plan for the future. Being transparent with your team and coworkers is the best way to avoid future stress. If you know where you are going, isn’t the trip a bit smoother?
6) Thank you. Thanking someone else or recognizing another person’s achievement is good for the soul. We do this as a team through thank-you notes, gratitude Tuesday (we take an hour each Tuesday and write handwritten notes and drop them in the mail, throughout the building or wherever… just say thank you) or sending flowers/chocolate or whatever to brighten someone else’s day.
7) Celebrate. Acknowledge birthdays and milestones. It is the little things in life that bring a smile to your face. Whether that is sharing a favorite book with your coworkers or a work session from Sundance Grill while enjoying a delicious pomarita… you know, if we did those types of things.
8) Red wine. Enjoy it with ice. Seems to work for our fearless leader.
I gotta say, we know how to have a good time. 834 is a pretty great place to work, if we do say so ourselves. In all seriousness though (well as serious as we get), follow these 7 (or 8) things for a less stressful existence. Beat the burnout.
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