One of my friends used to work for the PR consultancy equivalent of a 'sausage factory.' She was always at the office until late into the night and a lot of weekends were also gobbled up by her job. She told pretty worrying tales about Account Managers breaking down in tears while driving to work and turnover was so high that her team was constantly changing. She found it all very unsettling and highly stressful. She lasted less than six months.
I just don't think that is right. If your employees are unhappy and are not allowed to unwind in the evenings or at weekends, then it will come out in the work that they do. It's inevitable. I also think that it's highly unethical to treat people like this, whether they are being paid big bucks to manage a huge PR campaign or they are on a much more modest wage, down at the local corner shop.
My life is very balanced. I work from 8.30am-5pm, unless I have a late meeting or am organising an event etc. If I can't do my work between those hours then I am either not organising my time properly or my employer is giving me more than I can manage on my own. I relax by indulging in my hobbies (horse-riding, although I am also taking up snowboarding) and spending time with my boyfriend and my family.
I do love my job but if I didn't have other interests and an opportunity to spend time doing them, I would become demotivated, lethargic and would not be able to work to my full potential.
If you are sat reading this in the office at 8pm and you are still nowhere near the bottom of your pile of work, you may fit the typical 'sausage worker' profile! Remember- you do have a choice here. There are plenty of great PR consultancies and employers out there who recognise that content employees benefit everybody. Make sure you're with one of them.
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