Juggling family life with a professional career has always been a challenge, but with higher expectations alongside new hybrid working patterns, how do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?
In it together?
The legacy of Covid has upended many working practices, with manufacturing and logistics industries joining office-based in utilising technology for remote working and meetings. At ICS, we decided to integrate back to the office, not only for efficiencies, but we found distinct benefits to being in the same place: easier to proactively check something across an office, avoiding errors, delays (and potentially, costs).
The social and cohesive side of work should also not be underestimated. We’ve built up organically from our foundation in 2002, so we benefit from a cohesive, supportive atmosphere. However, never take such for granted- we all know tasks and deadlines can become all-encompassing!
Connecting and Adapting
One takeaway has definitely been that, whether your business is centrally based, remote, or flexible, incorporating elements from other models is hugely beneficial. For example, scheduling regular face-to-face meetings may be harder if people are on the road or spread across the country, but never underestimate their value for efficiency, understanding, compliance, training, teamwork, making connections, and getting all to buy-in to one clear message.
Conversely, it can be easy to sink into your own parameters and routines when working side-by-side, so scheduled meetings with defined goals are still important, as is “human-time”, however that works for you. We could feel that we’re lucky to work somewhere where there’s understanding and flexibility when people need time for appointments, commitments, and those important things, but it shouldn’t be lucky, it’s the right thing to do, and as a result increases our sense of worth and commitment to the company.
Work-Life Balance
It’s become a catchphrase, but don’t let that diminish its importance.
Carving time out of your already full routine can be difficult, but summer is a great incentive to get out of the office to do something you love, and spend time with people you value- which can include people you work with: just doing something completely different!
Community
Recently, we discussed the transition from self-employed to running a small business. If you’re at that stage and growing, so will be your wider web: suppliers, shops, contractors; your customers, their customers, not least the interconnectedness of staff and family links. This gives your business presence and impact in your community; alongside the opportunity to get involved and make a positive impact.
Every business is comprised, and therefore will act differently, but most of us like to give something back where possible. Some of ICS’s local initiatives include sponsoring the local grassroots Westmorland Cricket League, and we’ve just helped a brilliant local cheerleading team, Stormers Elite, travel to the prestigious Summit Championships in Orlando, Florida. Both these suggestions came out of staff connections or passions, cementing rewarding personal links between company, work and our local area.
So, if you’re reading this as an entrepreneur, is summer a good cue to refresh human connections, or adapt “how we’ve always done it” to your growing and adapting business? And if you’re a staff member or contractor, has it prompted any work/life requests to make, or activities and local connections to suggest?
A team member insight By Jen Beckett, ICS Accounting Practice Manager
In our practice, on the whole, we now work in the office as we find it more efficient and productive, but are flexible with the needs of the team. I think we all get more out of coming into the office and working together.
We make a special effort to eat lunch together every Wednesday, with Italian flatbreads from our favourite weekly market stall. It’s a chance to connect, relax, chat and confer, as well as supporting a great local business.
As part of the ICS Accounting team, not only do I feel loyal to my role, our clients, and those around me who keep all the cogs turning, but I’ve recognised that keeping enough of me left to enjoy time outside of work with family and friends is vital to keeping me participating fully in all areas of my life.
As we head into the busy annual leave period, I’ll be focused on managing deadlines, while taking some time out, away from the desk. In fact… I’m currently training for a 100km charity trek of the Camino de Santiago, to raise vital funds for our amazing local St John’s Hospice in Lancaster. (ICS have kindly sponsored our team kit, so there’s no backing out now!)
Wishing you a brilliant midsummer, in work and out.
Jen
