Rambling On...
The excitement of riding one of Europe’s biggest rollercoasters last week, coupled with the Herculean struggle of resisting my trusty Blackberry for a whole weekend, has got me thinking about the importance of maintaining a work-life balance – something which those who know me best would probably find hard not to snigger at.
I constantly have to force myself to make time away from the office. Last weekend I had some family visiting from the US so I booked a couple of days in the Lake District. I laced up my hiking boots, made sure I had my map the right way round, and the transformation into ‘Larry Gould, Intrepid Explorer’ was complete. So we embarked on our expedition to conquer the rolling hills, admire the verdant vistas and eat our own bodyweight in Kendal mint cake.
As I wheezed my way up the winding paths and brushed aside swathes of bracken, the throbbing against my leg interrupted my reverie: the Blackberry beckoned. I had again promised my wife to try and put work out of mind for a couple of days, but the buzzing persisted. I told the group that I had to take an urgent toilet break, stood behind a tree, and started flicking through my emails. It was pretty cold in my state of undress, and I nearly jumped out of my skin as my wife tapped me on the shoulder: “Aha – I knew it!”
A lot of people struggle to balance their career aspirations with their personal goals. As a company, we want our employees to work hard, but to also take the time to unwind and develop in other areas. This is why we have decided to reintroduce thebigword’s Reflection Room and will soon be asking staff for suggestions as to how you want this space to be used. Back by popular demand, we will also be installing a brand new pool table in The Lounge - although I would like to remind you all of our strict ‘no hustling’ policy.
Our emphasis on work-life balance is not just confined to the culture in our global offices, but we are taking great steps to support our worldwide linguist community. Drop by next week to find out more...
Have a great weekend!
Larry
I constantly have to force myself to make time away from the office. Last weekend I had some family visiting from the US so I booked a couple of days in the Lake District. I laced up my hiking boots, made sure I had my map the right way round, and the transformation into ‘Larry Gould, Intrepid Explorer’ was complete. So we embarked on our expedition to conquer the rolling hills, admire the verdant vistas and eat our own bodyweight in Kendal mint cake.
As I wheezed my way up the winding paths and brushed aside swathes of bracken, the throbbing against my leg interrupted my reverie: the Blackberry beckoned. I had again promised my wife to try and put work out of mind for a couple of days, but the buzzing persisted. I told the group that I had to take an urgent toilet break, stood behind a tree, and started flicking through my emails. It was pretty cold in my state of undress, and I nearly jumped out of my skin as my wife tapped me on the shoulder: “Aha – I knew it!”
A lot of people struggle to balance their career aspirations with their personal goals. As a company, we want our employees to work hard, but to also take the time to unwind and develop in other areas. This is why we have decided to reintroduce thebigword’s Reflection Room and will soon be asking staff for suggestions as to how you want this space to be used. Back by popular demand, we will also be installing a brand new pool table in The Lounge - although I would like to remind you all of our strict ‘no hustling’ policy.
Our emphasis on work-life balance is not just confined to the culture in our global offices, but we are taking great steps to support our worldwide linguist community. Drop by next week to find out more...
Have a great weekend!
Larry
