Work – Life balance

May 21, 2015

We all have stressful days. You know the ones – the days when you wish you could hide under your desk, or escape and go for a walk outside in the sunshine. Many people handle stress differently, and however you manage yours, there is no doubt regarding the importance of a healthy balance between your work life and your social life.

Reducing stress levels

One of the ways I like to balance my life and reduce my stress levels is through maintaining a healthy level of fitness and by regularly exercising. I find that if I exercise and my body feels fit and healthy then I feel fit and healthy too, and consequently more able to take on the day’s challenges.

 

Nowadays many people are not just exercising to maintain their looks, but also for the variety of health benefits, including stress management. Exercise is a fantastic way to reduce stress and fatigue as when you exercise your body releases endorphins that connect to the receptors in your brain and reduce your perception of pain and stress.

Team RSAWEB

Here at RSAWEB we like to keep active in our spare time, and we regularly encourage each other to take part in a variety activities to help keep us all fit, relaxed and connected as a team.  Working in a tech company that manages critical systems for some of South Africa’s biggest companies comes with its fair share of stress, even when things are running 100% smoothly, which makes a strong team dynamic vital, and the need to find ways to balance and manage stress levels imperative.

The RSAWEB team have recently taken on a number of sporting events including the Impi Obstacle Challenge, the 12KM FNB One Run and the Cape Town Cycle Tour. A number of us also regularly meet up for early morning mountain biking sessions across Platteklip or lunch time laps in the nearby Sea Point local pools and we also have a ‘5 a side’ weekly football league.

 

Company culture

These and a number of other activities are all encouraged by our managers, and the MD’s all see the benefit of a happy, healthy and more relaxed group of employees – in fact they also regularly join in! The team activities also assist us in working together more efficiently and effectively, building a stronger team environment, so much so that you could say that being active is part of our company culture and who we are.

Aside from our group escapades, RSAWEB also sponsors a number of professional athletes under the banner of “Team RSAWEB”, who compete in some of the world’s biggest fitness events such as Iron Man 70.3, the Absa Cape Epic and more. Members of Team RSAWEB include Stuart Marais, Nic Lammond, Renay Groustra and Carl Pasio.

The top benefits of regular exercise are:

• Having fun!
• Reduced stress-levels
• Warding off anxiety and feelings of depression
• Boosting self-esteem
• Improving team atmosphere
• Improving sleep
• Healthier immune system

Ultimately, maintaining a good work life/social life balance all leads to a better working environment and stronger bonds between various team members. This yields further positive results as the teams then produces better products and our clients receive better customer service from us.

Working at RSAWEB isn’t just a normal 9-5 job, it’s a lifestyle.

Here is another article  we wrote on how to keep a balanced work life:

7 ways to improve your health while at work