MARCH | TRENDING
Balancing act
Words/interviews: Olivia Powell
T
he outdoor and live events
industry is one that is most
often associated with energy,
enthusiasm and a get-up-and-go
attitude. With many events taking
place over a few days, or into the early
hours of the morning, it can be easy
to assume that those that work in the
industry have boundless energy too.
However, as with all industries, it’s
important to separate yourself from
work and take a break.
Access spoke to those in the live and
outdoor events industry to find out
how they manage to get a good work/
life balance.
Roxy Robinson,
creative director,
From The Fields:
What do you do to allow for flexibility
for staff, is this on an adhoc basis?
Having mused on it for several years,
we have recently introduced a four
day working week at FTF. Research
has shown that this approach is
likely to increase both wellbeing and
productivity, so it is a no-brainer for us.
We only hire exceptionally self-
motivated individuals that can be
trusted to make their own decisions
about working hours. Although most of
the team works roughly 10-6pm each
day, some have childcare obligations
that mean they are in the office on a
more adhoc basis (with more hours
worked from home) whereas some may
start and finish their working days
later than others.
We all know that some of us are
morning people, while others are night
owls. If you essentially trust your
team, allowing them to work a routine
that works best for them is allowing
them to perform at their best. As long
as there is some regular contact time
among the team, the specifics can be
moulded to what works best for each
individual.
Do you have any anecdotes about
work life balance successes or indeed
failures?
For me personally, work-life balance
improved immeasurably after getting
rid of my home office (thus drawing
a clearer line between home & work),
banning weekend work and forcing
myself to leave the office at 6pm,
usually by booking a 7pm yoga or
dance class. Making sure you have
plenty of plans in your evenings means
that you can’t just work through them!
Knowing that I can’t work into the
weekend means I am so much more
focused during the week, meanwhile
the habit of heading to the gym after
work brings its own myriad of benefits,
from improved sleep to self confidence
and better energy levels. Throughout
my Twenties I saw weekends as
opportunities to ‘get ahead’ and do
extra work, often while nursing nasty
hangovers and particularly at peak
festival periods. Refusing to carry this
habit into my 30s was a good move!
In an industry that is so often ‘on’, how
do you switch ‘off’?
What is known as “flow happiness” is
extremely important to switching off,
at least for me. It’s the sort of happiness
that occurs when you are totally
absorbed in doing something you
enjoy, most commonly associated with
physicality and movement, whether
that’s cycling through green hills,
martial arts, or playing an instrument.
For me its dance. It’s the perfect way
to unwind, but it’s also social and
immensely fun! I dance afrobeat,
reggaeton, salsa and a lot of zumba.
Bliss.
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