Take the stress out of your career – or at least reduce it!

Public Relations has been named the sixth most stressful job in the world, its right up there with firefighters, airline pilot and the military!

Wow! That is some research uncovered by job search site CareerCast. Do I agree?

Stressed

Well it’s hard to put your job stress up there with people who deal with real life death situations so perhaps it’s rather dramatic. However I can of course appreciate that a career in communications is still none the less stressful.
Deadlines, client demands, public scrutiny not to mention the unsociable hours all dominate our world, ah so now I can explain the premature grey hair!

With all seriousness though we are switched on and plugged in 24/7.

Part of my role as communications manager at the BIC sees responsibility for all social media channels onto my shoulders; that’s Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn for all our centres…and this is a real juggling act.

For brands social media presence is a necessity these days. Social media has become an indispensable part of the modern business landscape.

Brands need to be available to answer urgent demands or questions at all times of the day…and night!

However there are certain steps we can take that can ensure our work life balance is more…well balanced! And these can be applied to any career not just those in communications.

Plan, plan and plan some more.

To do list

Organising tasks with a list can make everything much more manageable

Get a pad and a pen and jot down a to do list.
Not planning deadlines in can turn the most simplest of tasks into an emergency.
Ensure all information is in a central place so other members of the team can reach them easily should they need to. Make sure all images are sized correctly along with graphics so they don’t hold up time last minute.
If a task has been assigned to you clarify the deadline date. Often people will email an assignment to simply get it out of their inbox not because they request a result immediately.
Keep promises
Think trustworthy, reliable and dependable. If you say you will email something over, do it. If you arrange a call for a certain time, call. You get the idea. In a role without guaranteed results it is crucial that clients are always informed. Ensure you meet customers’ expectations, if you can’t absolute guarantee coverage then don’t promise it!
Switch off and log out.

Leave office

North East BIC river wear view

Make time for yourself, occasionally the days get away from us and we work through our lunches and it even overflows into our home life. Of course in this profession it isn’t always unavoidable but it shouldn’t be a regular occurrence.
So switch off and log out, go for walk, soak up some natural light and be outdoors. Surround yourself in nature reduces stress levels…so go hug a tree!
It’s all about perspective

Perspective is very important.
Referring back to the beginning of this blog…we aren’t flying planes here!

Not flying planes
Working in public relations/marketing doesn’t have to be one of the most stressful jobs…it can be a lot of fun, providing I have my coffee! For more tips on how to reduce stress in the workplace please visit here.

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