Ella Delancey Jones’ Post

Stop working during the holidays. Your quality of life and relationships are worth the tradeoff. I used to work Christmas Eve Day, New Years Eve Day and every other day I wasn't forced to take off. I didn't want my colleagues to think I was a slacker, that I didn't care, and that I was mailing it in for the rest of the year. I chose to be a martyr and work, instead of take time off like everyone else. Rather than starting the new year energized, excited, renewed, I'd be tired, stressed, resentful and burnt out. If this sounds like you, then I have an early holiday present to ensure you not only have the best holiday ever, but you also launch into 2024 like never before. Join my webinar to learn How to Survive Holiday Burnout. In the webinar you'll learn: - How to balance work with the holiday. - Methods for unplugging completely while on Holiday PTO. - How to set boundaries with others in favor of yourself. - How to return to work energized in 2024. Register for the webinar below: https://buff.ly/3RBvWvG #burnout #holidays #bestadvice

Working late? Me too... While I LOVE the Holidays, it does come with the stress of end-of-year deadlines, financial and social obligations- all of which can impact our #wellbeing. Some stats that are scarier than the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come... -61% of U.S. workers say their mental health is negatively impacted during the holiday season (Monster) - 44% feel more stressed than usual - 17% report a decline in their overall well-being - And that's on top of the already high levels of stress and burnout at least 57% are feeling (Aflac). Lovelies there is a better way, and it involves weaving wellbeing into the everyday flow of work = #Wellworking. Feeling the EOY #burnout? Comment below or privately message me and I will #gift you some awesome new tools to feel more #Happier in the #Holidays, and beyond. This is also a great read: https://lnkd.in/eMBZjFBE

Working with people around the world, can often mean sacrificing public holidays and evenings. What's your one non-negotiable? Downtime is SO important ✓ your body needs rest ✓ your body needs enough sleep ✓ your people (and your sanity) need you to mix it up a little There is nothing wrong working on a public holiday - particularly if it's not a day off for a lot of your clients There is nothing wrong working evenings - especially if your clients are in a different timezone A wise person once said there are three sections in your waking day → morning → afternoon → evening Pick whichever two best suit your working life, and keep the third one for you Pretty good way of looking at things I used to work too many hours. And push myself far too hard to make sure I didn't miss out on anything else in the meantime. I tell people I burnt the candle at both ends. And in the middle... Until it caught up with me 😲 That's not the only reason we get a scary diagnosis. But it's definitely a contributing factor So my question is. What's your one non-negotiable? #wellbeing #staywell #twooutofthree

I speak to so many people who feel guilty about taking leave they are entitled to at work. This past week alone I have had someone tell me they are too busy to book leave and someone else has cancelled their leave because they are too busy to take it as they had planned. Neither of these people work in emergency services. It is not only booking and taking leave that is an issue.... People are feeling guilty for needing time off when they are sick and are going back too early, before they have fully recovered. These things are linked and if either of the above describe you, I'll bet you also stress about your job, arrive early, leave late, have trouble switching off at the end of your working day. You have a ticket to burn out. Eventually your body and mind will just say no more and force you to stop. And all the while you are recovering, your boss and the people in your workplace will not be thinking about how hard you have worked. They will just see someone who is now on long term sick leave and it will be your fault for not managing your time better. Set boundaries now. Today. If you need to book leave, book it. If you have booked leave and are thinking about cancelling it, make that choice for you not for your workplace. If you are unwell and going back early because you noticed the stress is your boss' voice when you spoke yesterday and you know they will struggle without you, think again and make sure you are actually well enough. Your health and well-being need to be a priority in your life ✨️

So another weekend’s over. Hope you enjoyed you’re free time if you’re a Monday-Friday contracted worker. If you’re like many and can’t resist just dealing with that email, think about this. If you’re 30 now, even if you only do 2 hours at the weekend checking emails by the time you retire at 65 you’d have worked an extra 3,500 hours for free or based on being awake 16 hours a day over 200 days. 🤷♂️ If your job can’t be done Monday to Friday then your employer isn’t employing enough staff it’s as simple as that. Please don’t think by promoting not working for free I’m suggesting people be lazy, unambitious I’m suggesting you work hard for your contracted hours and use you time off to do things that really give you joy. Some people thrive off being busy working 60-70 hours a week but for 90% of us working long hours in a stressful occupation is more than likely to lead to poor mental and physical health, break down of relationships etc. In some cases it can lead to alcoholism or drug use as a method of coping. Can you go a whole weekend not looking at your work lap top or work mobile? If not I think you have a problem, a work addiction or a fear of losing your job. PS I’m talking unpaid work, if you’re paid to give up your weekend that’s a different consideration. #freetime #precious #joy

I didn’t know I was overworking until I got burnt out. I grew up seeing my Mother work +80 plus hours a week for +20 years. She owned a grocery store - open on holidays and snow storms. She was supposed to close at 8 pm but it turned out to be 9 pm because the last minute Lucy's wanted cigarettes and milk. When I became a physician, working 60-80 hours was normal to me. Ignoring sleep signals post-27 hour calls was considered a strength because I had to get life things done. I truly didn't understand why it was hard to find a nanny to work on the weekends. "What's with people not wanting to work weekends? Must be nice" I would think. Sometimes we can't see what we don't know is possible. We don't question what we think is normal or just the way it is when it truly can be completely different. So many times we hear of older people telling us the things they regret. I don't want that to be me and if you don't want that to be you either - book a free consultation so you can STOP overworking and counting down to the weekend to enjoy your life. #personalleadership #leadershipcoaching #coachingforwomen #workingmoms #professionalwomen #lifecoaching #personaldevelopment #overworking #timemanagement #productivity

The winter holidays are quickly approaching. Are you feeling merry and bright...or burnt out? If it's the latter, you're not alone. A survey by the American Psychological Association revealed that stress increased during the holiday season for 38% of respondents. Things like end-of-year work deadlines, social obligations, finances, and juggling holiday planning were often culprits. If gift-giving has you feeling the strain, remember that it's the act of giving that matters more than the gift itself. #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthMonday #WiMTexas

Even when I go on vacation I check my email periodically and organize information for my return to work. If I didn't do that, I would return to hundreds of emails that need to be addressed while at the same time having to participate in meetings and phone calls that got pushed off because I wasn't there. Checking my email (which is the main way my clients communicate) and organizing my to-dos for my return helps keep me sane. Yes, I have a bounce back email saying I am on vacation. My assistant is screening my email and making sure that things that can't wait for my return are being addressed by one of my colleagues. My point? Don't badger a friend or family member who is "on vacation" and periodically checks his or her email or calls the office. That person's mental health and peace of mind may depend on that as much as having a vacation. Completely disconnecting may not be what some people need. They are not you. You, do you. #business #management #employmentlaw #humanresources #hr #lawyers #DevLInTheDetails

Because mental health matters - Why we have 42 days off per year 🏖️ Imagine having an extra day off every month without using up your annual holidays. Wouldn’t that be amazing? 😍 We think so too! That’s why we introduced our #BlaumachTag (or “me-day”) at @Adel & Link in 2022. Once a month, we all get an extra day for ourselves, bringing our annual holidays up to 42 days. What started as a pilot test quickly became our favourite agency benefit. So, why are we doing this and is it really worth the investment? One of the best things about agency life is that every day is different. We develop ideas, come up with creative and strategic concepts, create and design for today and tomorrow – sometimes as a team in discussions and brainstormings, sometimes quietly at our desks at home, sometimes it’s straightforward, sometimes wild, sometimes really tricky. Our creativity is the source of everything and simultaneously our most precious asset – and for that, we feel, we need to regularly grant ourselves a break. 💆 So, after one year, we conducted a survey about what our colleagues think about this benefit, and – surprise – we got top marks! Here are some of our findings: ➡️ 100% of participants are happy with the extra day off and consider it an important benefit. ➡️ 78% even reported increased motivation at work since its implementation. 💪 ➡️ Initially, we had concerns about logistics and coordination, but 83% said that they rarely or never face any difficulties in coordinating with their team. Also, all colleagues who started working at Adel & Link after the introduction of this benefit say that it made us stand out significantly from other employers during their job search. For 43% of them, it even played an important role in their decision. To be honest, that sounds fantastic – but you might be wondering how we manage it all. In fact, the introduction of this benefit hasn’t had a negative impact on the work we do for our clients. Even with 42 days off, we are still 100% dedicated to our clients, just as usual. To achieve this, we critically examined internal tasks, streamlined processes, reduced meetings and redistributed responsibilities. We continually question how we spend our working hours. Because in the end, it’s not just about top-notch results but also about our life time. Therefore, our Blau-mach-Tag is not just an ordinary day off – it’s a valuable contribution to our mental and physical well-being. It sets a signal for a real work-life balance, truly embodying the spirit of New Work. Want to find out more? Head to our blog (in German) 👉 https://lnkd.in/efX2MNbV #mentalhealthmatters #newwork #agencylife #pragency #worklifebalance #employeebenefits #benefits #wirmachenblau

Here’s a reminder to book that all important holiday. The day before annual leave can be THE. WORST. Clearing the to-do list, writing hand overs, closing loops. Sometimes I wonder, “Is it actually worth it?” The answer is always yes. I stumbled across the shocking statistic that over 60% of Brits don’t take all their annual leave. Reasons include feeling pressured by management (WTF?), fear of falling behind or just being too damn busy.  Holidays are often skipped to get through busy periods, with the thought of “I’ll take time off when it’s a bit quieter”. Spoiler alert- there’s never a perfect time to take annual leave. There will always be deadlines, pitches, shoots; that’s the nature of the beast. Management clearly has more to do in creating cultures where people feel they can take time off without the guilt. Not because it’s a legal right but because not taking time off is detrimental to you. This Mental Health Awareness week, alongside all the other amazing initiatives, I challenge you to get some days booked off. Even if it’s just to chill out for a few days and do nothing (unless you're into Gruffalo hunts like we are!!). If anything, I reckon it will only help nourish our creativity!