PR at 30,000ft By Gregg Fray, Co-Owner

People often talk about ‘work-life balance’. The notion of working hard from 9-5 then switching off completely is appealing in theory, but - as a hands-on owner of the region’s biggest independent PR agency and a busy video production studio - in practice it’s all but impossible.

In order to service clients, manage 85 staff and keep producing cutting-edge media content in a 24/7 news environment, I’ve opted for the alternative approach of ‘work-life integration’. So I’m writing this somewhere in the sky over Iraq on a flight to the UK I boarded at 7am at Dubai Airport.

I find it much easier to accept that my work is an intrinsic part of my waking hours, no matter where in the world I am. Through my iPhone - pretty much my single tool of the trade - I’m able to stay connected, make decisions, review content and execute on the fly. I only have an out of office auto reply on my emails to make clear I’m not in the UAE for meetings; for calls, What’s App messages, emails and social media I’m pretty much always available.

People argue it’s not healthy to never switch off, but I find it’s comforting to know I’m always on top of things ... or better still, a few steps ahead.

Working on a plane allows head space to think with no other distractions (in the last couple of hours I’ve been through a PR strategy, contributed to a new business proposal, given feedback on two pieces of video content and started writing a speech I’ll be delivering at an event two weeks from now), but even upon landing I’ll be responsive.

Those who know me will know I travel a lot for business and family reasons. And by always being connected, my mind is settled in the knowledge that I don’t have work piling up behind me while I travel. Of course, it helps to enjoy your work if you employ this lifestyle choice. It also helps to have great department heads and staff you trust to deliver.

But luckily for me, being at the helm of Seven Media and Seven Studios is something I’m more than happy to build in to my routine even when I’m not in the office.

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Created on Jun 6th 2019 07:34. Viewed 262 times.

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