SEE WHAT “WORK HARD, PLAY HARD” MEANS TO R&R

“Work hard, play hard” is a phrase that we have all heard. A phrase that can be interpreted and applied in a variety of ways in the professional world. It’s a phrase that can depict long working hours and busy social calendars, but here at R&R, it simply refers to a healthy work-life balance.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE VS. WORK HARD, PLAY HARD

The term, Work-Life Balance is often thrown around in job descriptions as something that is a “benefit” or a “bonus” rather than an expectation. To be fair, it wasn’t until the late 1970s and early 1980s that the idea of “work-life balance” was even introduced. Prior to that, and for some companies still, your job is considered a priority, and life outside of work will have to wait.

Fast forward to today’s workforce that is realizing a healthy life means finding balance, and when it comes to highest priorities it’s no longer the job that wins outright. Current and younger generations are choosing careers that support their lifestyles, not the other way around.

So why do we prefer the term, “Work hard, play hard?” Because even though finding balance is essential, we still believe in hard work. Our team shows up ready to work hard for our clients, their teammates, and for their own personal growth. Hard work is an expectation of our industry, from our field crews working on construction sites manually laying out grids, to our engineers designing site grading and drainage, all of which is essential to the success of our projects. We won’t deny that hard work is not only an expectation but a requirement for success. However, the phrase is just as much about the practice of prioritizing both professional growth and maintaining a high-quality life outside of work.

“Play hard” is all about finding time to enjoy life while also working hard to grow your career; but it can be difficult to “find time” outside of your job if you’re not getting the right support from your job. This is why R&R’s culture is geared towards supporting each individual teammate, inside and outside of their role within the company. We do this by encouraging time off, providing flexible schedules, and providing fun team and family focused company events. We check-in with our peers, we do not over-glorify a 60+ hour work week as a means of success, we strive to have a full team ensuring PTO can be taken and our projects still have coverage, and we do not ask our employees to choose between meeting a deadline and spending quality time with their family or friends. We acknowledge, and understand, that despite how much we may love our jobs, we work to live, we do not live to work.

See how our teams #WorkHard…

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Work Hard, but Work Smarter

In addition to our “Work hard, play hard” mentality, we pride ourselves on our intention to work smarter, so that we can not only play hard but play better. Studies have shown serious consequences when there is a lack of balance in an individual’s life. Below are just a few of the many negative effects that can occur without a healthy balance:

Difficulty sleeping
Increase in stress
Lack of focus
Increase in mental health issues
Burnout

If you find yourself checking quite a few of the boxes above, it may be time to reevaluate your balance. There are tactics you can use, even if your company doesn’t truly support a healthy “Work Hard, Play Hard” mentality. We’ve outlined just a few of the benefits that R&R encourages below:

Learn to set boundaries, say no
Find work that is fulfilling, not counting down the clock
Utilize your EAP benefits, if your organization provides them
Remember, you can’t take care of others if you’re not taking care of yourself.

Establishing a work-life balance starts with you, working for a company like R&R that values and rewards the hard work that their team is doing, will make it easier. Organizations are quickly learning that without quality/talented people, it’s nearly impossible to run a successful business to ensure our business keeps moving forward, we prioritize the one thing that has gotten us this far…our people.