ADVICE . COMMUNITY . INSPIRATION
Stress Awareness Month in Design
Sam Hill is a heavyweight Freelance Brand Consultant. After an impressive career, working within the industry’s most innovative brands and agencies, Sam turned her life around. First, she decided to go it alone. Then, during the pandemic, she moved out of London and is now living blissfully and working remotely in Bristol. Read on to learn how she did it.
Do you consider your work/life balance healthy?
Yes, I do. But it’s taken me a while to get here. I’ve worked in the industry for 25 years and previously I overinvested in my work. I wanted to be successful and would never say no when asked to work overtime. Therefore, I regularly worked 50 hour weeks.
Work can dominate and life can take a backseat, particularly when you work in agency.
Throughout my career, I’ve worked both agency and client-side. Both are intense, but I believe that agency is where things are really high-pressure. That’s why 6 years ago I set up a limited company and decided to work for myself. Now, I take maintaining a balance very seriously.
I’m overprotective of my free time
Age has played a part in this change in mindset. Once you reach a certain age you realise what matters in life. I’m in my early 50’s and have now successfully sifted out the people and activities which simply don’t serve me well.
Was there a specific reason for choosing your current working style?
I like the perspective, flexibility and variety consultancy provides.
I get to choose how I want to work and the people I want to work with.
I have several clients and work with them on very focused contracts. Once they’re complete I move on. Sometimes working agency or client-side can get very ‘civil service-y’, whereas with consultancy there is a clear start and finish.
Also, I’m a later-in-the-day kind of person and a big plus about working for myself is that I can choose my work structure: when, where and even how I want to work.
It’s a myth that you must be in the office 5 days a week. Since moving to Bristol my client base has actually expanded.
I was in London for 25 years and believed I had to be close to the office. But since moving to Bristol and shaking that London-centric midframe, I have clients in the US, Europe and Ireland.
I work in Brand consultancy, and I also help my clients imagine new ways of working. I look at work cultures and offer new ideas in that respect. Because of the pandemic, many companies have realised that good work can happen anywhere.
How do you switch off from work? Have you chosen any hobbies specifically to help you destress?
I walk a lot and run every day. Sometimes it’s an end of the day, clearing-the-head type of run, other times it’s first thing so I can power up for the day ahead.
I’m a big believer of doing things simply for the pleasure of doing them. I study philosophy. Not to gain a qualification, just simply to learn.
I also love art and draw a lot. Not because I’m any good at it, but because I get absorbed in the task and that’s great for switching off. I practice yoga and I also take an evening class in philosophy just because I enjoy the subject matter.
It’s important to have hobbies and interests that aren’t work-related and not based on someone else objective, nor finance or competition.
How do you manage your stress whilst at work?
I swear by walking. Even when I was in an office I would always take a walk at lunchtime to reset and refocus. The great thing about being at home is that I can get up and move around whenever I need to.
It’s important to listen to your body. When my back starts to ache or my eyes start to dry, I know it’s time to move.
I have a Fitbit that reminds me to take 250 steps every hour. I also use a few mindfulness apps like Calm and Headspace.
I used to stress a lot by taking everything on by myself. Now I communicate my feelings to the people I’m working with.
If I’m really stressed about something, I’ll write out a really long list but one big way I manage stress is through good communication. Sharing the pinch point really does help and a lot of problems can be solved by writing an email to the person(s) you’re working with asking them: “how can we…”
What do you feel employers should do to reduce work-related stress?
A lot of workplace stress could be prevented if employers became better at recognising the signs of stress and appreciating that it can reveal itself in different ways. It isn’t always snappiness or taking too much time off. It could be when people go quiet or take too little time off.
Keeping an eye out for signs of stress within your team is important.
More employers need to take responsibility for the stress that working long hours put on their employees, and they should provide support for those that choose to.
Make sure your employees are working at their optimum by providing a work environment that suits them best.
I call myself a ‘sociable introvert’. I love going out and meeting new people, but I also very much enjoy my own space and I find full-time office life very distracting. If you want your employees in the office 5 days a week, but you have employees who don’t work well with the music and chatter office life brings, it’s a good idea to offer chill-out spaces or quiet areas.
Even if a person is very talented you won’t get the best out of them if they are in an environment that they find unsettling.
Don’t veto the idea of flexible hours and don’t expect employees to be on call outside of office hours.
It’s very common practice to send emails in the late evening, expecting an instant response or one first thing the next day. Let’s stop doing this. Give employees time to recharge.
An airy office with direct sunlight. Greenery and allowing employees to customise their workspace can all minimise stress.
A lot of these things are free or simple to action. Like walking meetings instead of stuffy boardrooms and keeping interactions shorter and less formal. It’s just about keeping an open mind and being attentive to your employee’s needs.
If you would like to connect with Sam Hill you can find her here. If you’re feeling inspired and want to find a client services role of your own, speak to our team.