Over the last 430+ days of working from home, we have heard and occasionally said ‘I/we/they can think about it over the weekend/over holiday/tonight…It’s not like we have anything better to do right now.’

However, ironically, the hottest topic circulating through the ad industry right now is our wellbeing because our agencies, our leaders, are concerned about us.

One could point out that concerns for our wellbeing started long before we packed up our things to work from home for a month or two. Most agencies were already offered free subscriptions to apps that calm us, already given weekly massages, yoga, dry cleaning, some even offered egg freezing.

Now the list has expanded to include virtual mental health sessions and online HIIT classes. How lucky we are.

But back to that initial statement. We do, in fact, have better things to do with our free time. All of us. When our agencies give us the room to be ourselves and do our own things, give us clear boundaries, we are all better for it. We find our own yoga classes, our own paths to families, our own wellbeing.

Life at a crossroads

Right now, as life begins to open back up, we’re at a crossroads. As a friend just pointed out, the ‘dangling carrots’ that keep so many of us working unhealthy hours aren’t as shiny these days: the work drinks, the Cannes parties, the late-night comradery. Even they started to rot during this isolation. Some of the most talented are shrugging their shoulders and looking to other careers – anything else—to find some peace.

So, we have an opportunity here. At Leagas Delaney, we’ve blocked off lunchtime for a start: No meetings, no random calls, or deadlines. That time is your time to cook, eat, go for a walk. We also do our best to keep all meetings within regular work hours. No surprises or unnecessary expectations. Because, really, why? If we work effectively, don’t stay in meetings unnecessarily, and are given the time to focus and dive into our work, we can do a lot of this during normal working hours. Is that supposed to be a secret?

As creative leads, we have a duty to give ourselves and our team the real time to solve problems during the normal workday, we must make it possible to turn off and go live our own lives outside of work, so that we can explore the world, focus 100% on our families and find out what else makes our hearts beat faster other than the latest provocative ad campaign.

Once we do that, we’ll still make great, effective work, but we’ll also save a lot of money on virtual mental wellness courses.