Tag Archives: workplace

How We’ll Spend Our Summer Down Time

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For many of us, the memory of required childhood essays about how we spent our summer vacations remains vivid. While summer essays are no longer required for us, our team opted for a bit of proactive nostalgia by sharing a few of our summer plans before a single beach footprint, cracking of book spines or scheduling of an Airbnb, is attempted. 

Logan Thompson

I’m escaping the East Coast heat to visit Colorado for the first time. I can’t wait to see the mountains out west! My other summer plans include attending my brother and sister-in-law’s baby shower, going to my parents’ beach house, searching for a wedding dress and channeling the early-2000s at a Hilary Duff concert. 

Bianca Pell

I’m planning to see Ariana Grande in concert for the first time before joining my family for a much-needed beach vacation afterward. Otherwise, I’ll be taking advantage of the few months of sunshine in Massachusetts by celebrating the 4th of July on a trip with friends. 

Kate Glaviano

Other than a few pre-planned, small excursions this summer, I’m hoping to keep things pretty calm. My family and I are going to see singer-songwriter Tyler Childers in concert in July. I’m also planning to tackle some backyard projects with my mom, to enjoy plenty of park days with friends and to spend some downtime at home in between. 

Liz Rubino

Summer fun starts with our annual family getaway to the beach. It’s always a great time! We also have a trip planned to visit Canada with our good friends. Otherwise, we are looking forward to seeing our friends and enjoying lots of lobster.

Mike Madry

This summer is going to be very wedding-heavy for me. I have three on the books, all of which are taking place in my home state of Pennsylvania. My brother is attending all of them, so it will be awesome to get to spend some time with him.

Cassidy Taylor

Starting July 1, new Mom Cassidy Taylor will be returning to work. She will, of course, also be sharing several firsts with Baby Jackson this year along with her husband, Matt. This includes baby’s first fireworks display celebrating the 250thanniversary of American Independence. 

John Forberger

Next weekend we will be attending the first-ever Major League Pickleball tournament in St. Petersburg. The host facility, opened by a friend, is called St. Pete Athletic, and 60 top pros in North America, including the phenom Anna Leigh Waters, will be there. And yeah, I know the names of pickleball pros as any good South Florida resident should.

Paul Eagle

This July I’ll be headed to Austin, Texas to celebrate my son Austin’s birthday. (Yes, that is his name.) The rest of the summer will consist of smaller get-aways to swim in Lake Tahoe, eat oysters in San Francisco, hike with our dog, Angus, at Scott’s Flat Lake and tackle two new rock biographies, including Sing Backwards and Weep, the Mark Lanegan Story, and Even The Good Girls Will Cry, A 90’s Rock Memoir by Melissa Aug Der Mauer.

Eileen Coyne

Every summer my family vacations with close family friends at the Jersey Shore. With six boys between the two families, it’s always a fun adventure. Though the sandcastle-building days may be behind us, no one seems to age out of jumping from the dock into the bay with the occasional “Watch this, mom!”

Rod Hughes

With the big event being my brother’s beach wedding in late July at the Jersey Shore, the rest of our plans this summer are low-key by comparison. Ron Chernow’s biography of Mark Twain continues to call to me from my bedside table as a must-complete summer project. I’ll need to find one more to maintain parity with Paul Eagle’s summer reading list. The rest of the calendar will be filled with coffee and lunch meetups with friends. From all of us at Kimball Hughes PR, we wish you an enjoyable summer!

Stress management in the PR industry

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PR manager ranked No. 5 as one of the most stressful jobs in 2013

Looming deadlines, hectic daily schedules, constantly connected to your phone are standard in the PR industry. So, it’s no surprise PR managers ranked as one of the most stressful jobs in 2013. “For the third straight year, public relations has landed on CareerCast’s annual list of the most-stressful jobs in America. For 2013, public relations manager is No. 5 on the list, inching up two spots from last year.” (via PR Daily) Though PR professionals face many stresses, there are ways to manage.

net_efekt / Foter.com / CC BY-NC

Tips on how to manage stress in the PR industry

  • Change your setting. If you work in an office setting, try working at home once a week if permitted. If you work remotely, switch up your location once a week.
  • Disconnect. We’re all guilty of having our electronic devices attached to our hips, but it’s healthy to disconnect from your laptop and mobile devices every so often.
  • Take a lunch break. According PR Daily’s Salary and Job Satisfaction Survey, 69 percent said they eat lunch at their desks on most days. It’s important to take a lunch break and disconnect from everything even if it’s just for a short time.
  • Take a 15 minute break. Take a 15 minute stroll around the block or take 15 minutes to exercise each day. Taking some time to exercise can greatly reduce stress.
  • Use your vacation time. It’s important to take time for yourself. Taking a few days off can help you feel refreshed and ready to tackle the next project.
  • Bring your dog to work. According to an article in The Huffington Post (Slide 2), research shows that pet owners have lower blood pressure.

Which tips will you incorporate into your hectic work schedule to stay stress-free?

Photo credit: net_efekt / Foter / CC BY-NC

Tackling Obesity in the Workplace

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Obesity and overall health in the corporate world is becoming an increasing problem especially in the United States. Jobs that require sitting at a desk all day do not help. But should workers care? More importantly, should employers worry about the weight of their workers?

Aaron Landry / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Obesity is more than just a number on a scale

  • Larger employees cost employers.  MarketWatch says, “Obesity-related health problems account for a big chunk of medical claims, insurance experts say, leading some executives to believe the best way to trim their budgets is to get workers to trim their own fat first.”
  • Obesity in the workplace costs businesses billions of dollars each year. “Full-time workers in the US who are overweight or obese and have other chronic health conditions miss an estimated 450 million additional days of work each year compared with healthy workers — resulting in an estimated cost of more than $153 billion in lost productivity annually, according to a 2011 Gallup Poll.” (via Obesity Campaign)
  • Obesity can compound other injuries. According to an article in Insurance Journal, “Obesity increases the healing times of fractures, strains and sprains, and complicates surgery.”
  • The Obesity Campaign states there are more than 60 chronic diseases associated with obesity.

So there is an argument to be made that obesity is more than just a personal issue. It’s a professional liability in some instances. The question then becomes what can be done. What can/should employers do, and what options are available for more sedentary work environments?

  • Employers should encourage employees to get up from their desk each hour or so, even if only for a few minutes.
  • Where possible, employers might consider providing standings desks. Read about one Philly business offering this option.
  • Offer treadmill desks. Researchers speaking with Harvard Business Review suggest treadmill desks may be a good fit in terms of health and productivity.
  • Instead of having a coffee machine, provide fresh fruits and water to boost energy and productivity.
  • Provide healthier options at the cafeteria such as salad bars and healthier vending machine options.
  • Instead of having sedentary brainstorming meetings, try having a walking meeting outside (weather permitting!)
  • Offer wellness programs tailored to individuals to meet their specific needs.

Sure, incorporating healthier options and wellness programs might offer upfront costs, but a wealth of research indicates the savings in terms of workers’ compensation matters, sick time and overall employee health are significant.

Photo credit: Aaron Landry / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA