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Just remember that your clients and your boss don’t care about you and will fire you or lay you off in a heartbeat no matter how much you work.
This 100x over. People forget this. You are expendable. No one at your job cares about you or will sacrifice themselves to save you.
I have this argument with my husband at least once a week. Like I do not have a job where I can simply disconnect and ignore my boss and clients after hours. I am happy he gets to turn off his work phone in the evenings, over the weekend, and during family vacations but that is not the type of career I have. It is my job to be there when something goes wrong or a client needs something.
You have to set boundaries. My family and my kid come first. If you keep working late they expect you to do so.
Anyone who knows you well enough to be a spouse, partner or real friend knows you long enough to know that this is simply how this business is.
You can DO your job 9-5.
But to KEEP your job, not to mind ADVANCE, you need to make yourself available, certainly evenings, and frequently weekends.
That’s not just to be responsive, that’s often just to get through your own workload.
Having said that, be careful about being addicted to the lifestyle, and have empathy for the people around you and the impact your work lifestyle has an impact on your lives and relationships. Because it DOES require patience and understanding to live with someone in our business.
As someone who has been doing this work for more than 20 years. I’ve worked in all kinds of environments. Depending on the industry you support, sometimes work/life balance is difficult. Depends on the organization and its culture. I’ve worked in many fast-paced and demanding global orgs and they are dynamic and often have issues that come up after hours - crisis, production issues, HR issues, acquisitions, etc.. Some stuff you can’t plan for. I’ve cancelled plans. Missed events. Pissed people off because I’m taking calls. It happens. However, it’s not always that way.
I also realized over time that you must also set boundaries. If you are on vacation- be on vacation. People won’t respect your personal time if you don’t. Don’t check email. Don’t accept calls. Leave things in place so they DON’T have to call/email you. That is the hallmark of a well-functioning team.
Above all, make time for yourself and prioritize your well being.
If you work in crisis PR where you're expected to support 24/7, then yes. If not, it's reasonable to set boundaries although many PR folks don't. Given they personally do not, they might expect the same from their colleagues.