When discussing the world of Public Relations, an outsider’s perspective usually falls into one of two categories. The first is that of days filled with long lunches, glasses of chilled champagne and freebies from our clients. The other, of days spent running from meetings to events to photo opportunities and then back to our desks, millions of nagging phone calls to journalists and the expectation that we sleep in our offices.
Let me tell you something… neither is true. While working in PR definitely has its perks – and we can assure you, we do have lives outside the office – here at Thrive we are advocates for a healthy work/life balance.
The assumption that PR pros work around the clock isn’t surprising. With the 24/7 news cycle firmly entrenched and technology making it easier for everyone to be accessible, all the time – our work doesn’t stop when we leave the office. After all, it is our job to react instantaneously and Thrivers have built our reputation for being the fastest around.
Yet this new reality only makes the need for balance more important.
And it’s hard, you know. The Type A personalities that fill our office are united by an ingrained need to check emails every few minutes. A casual summer stroll will invariably end up at a newsagent as our subconscious leads our eyes to scan the newspapers and magazine racks for news and opportunities. Ideas constantly bubble in the back of our heads, and our inner monologue is a constant stream of checklists and to-dos. It’s what makes us good at what we do. But even we need to switch off at times, and having the support network to do so, is key to creating an environment that attracts some of the greatest specialists in their fields.
Of course, nothing is perfect all the time. There are days when our schedules are packed a little snugly, and even days where we seriously consider getting some cots installed. So in order to balance out these days, we ensure that when we do have some extra time we make good on those promises of long lunches, and allow ourselves that five-minute early mark on occasion.
So maybe that outsider’s perspective has a sliver of truth after all.