"It was a case of waking up one morning and thinking I've had enough of all this."

Having graduated from the University of Reading in the summer 2014, Adam Ward, account director at B2B agency Publicis Pro almost immediately took his first step on the career ladder as an intern, with the then named Octopus Group, in 2015.

Ward ticked along nicely for just under five years at the B2B agency — which rebranded as Publicis Pro this year following its acquisition by Publicis Groupe in 2021 — until 2020 when the pandemic brought on a personal epiphany; he was suffering from burnout.

The context

Ward— who was then based just outside of London —faced a three-hour commute, five days a week for seven years as he successfully went from a PR agency intern to senior account manager.

The pandemic put a stop to the strenuous commute and gave him time to reevaluate what was important to him. But in a strange turn of events, the very thing Ward thought he wanted turned out to be entirely the opposite of what he actually needed.

The moment

"I found it difficult to switch off and was running projects into my evenings."

Ward explains that he loved his career at Octopus Group, had supportive leaders, a fantastic group of colleagues and gained heaps of experience. The agency gave him his first start in PR and he put all his energy into climbing the agency ladder.

“I worked with some amazing people and the company has a great culture,” says Ward.

Along came 2020, and Ward along with the rest of the UK was plunged into the unexpected and harrowing reality of a global pandemic. When the adrenaline of Covid started ebbing away in 2021, Ward realised his self-imposed working habits were becoming detrimental to his wellbeing.

“I worked myself into the role of senior account manager, but [like anyone] in a career for any length of time, I was left with levels of burnout.

“I’m the kind of person that got so involved with my job that I lived and breathed it. I found it difficult to switch off and was running projects into my evenings. I’d also check emails on Sunday to plan the week ahead.

“It wasn’t a case of not enjoying my job or what I was doing, but it felt like I was on a treadmill. I was overwhelmed with the state of the world and needed a drastic change, so I sold everything I owned, and my partner and I moved out of our flat and went travelling for a year.”

The levels of uncertainty across the world at this point were high, but the UK in particular had faced a battering. Ward explains that just as Covid began to settle, conflict was starting in Europe and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was coming under fire for ‘partygate’. 

By the time 2022 had arrived, Ward was utterly spent and needed to take immediate action. 

“It felt like [there was] a combination of things going on in the world, and the UK didn’t feel like the place we [Ward’s partner] thought it was and had enjoyed. It was a case of waking up one morning and thinking I've had enough of all this. We’ve just gone through a massive life changing event [a global pandemic], there must be something else out there other than a nine to five, so why not explore that.”

“We ended up going around South America and South East Asia. I spent a whole year travelling and trying to understand other cultures, different ways of life, and generally what makes people happy outside of the Western bubble. I got back from that and had the dilemma of not being near London anymore and also getting back into the world of work.

“I literally by chance had a call from Octopus, [on the cusp of being rebranded as Publicis Pro] asking if I wanted to come back, and it would have been almost a year to the day.”

The takeaway

"My view on [remote working] has changed a little bit, as spending more time with people [at work] is valuable."

Ward discovered a lot about himself and what he values, both personally and professionally, and the conclusion he came to was unexpected.

“A lot of people say when they go travelling, they do it to ‘find themselves’ and see how amazing the rest of the world is.

“The world is certainly amazing but one of my main reasons for heading off was to better understand what makes other people, other nations and other cultures happy.

“I believe that it all essentially boils down to having a sense of community and being part of a group. But at the same time, it did make me value the UK more too, our access to public services, healthcare, infrastructure, technology. There's a lot that myself and others likely take for granted.

“I returned to PR with gratitude that we do have tough times but we do, generally, have a good system in the UK on the whole and a good work environment. Day-to-day my experiences have made me more relaxed. We want to do great work and build great relationships, but we probably also get too bogged down in the stresses of work life. Like everything it’s about finding a balance.”

Ward, who previously welcomed remote work with open arms, and felt perhaps his days of coming into a London-based office were numbered, had a complete change of heart.

“[A hybrid working model] was definitely what I wanted and needed. My view on [remote working] has changed a little bit, as spending more time with people [at work] is valuable. It’s about ensuring people have the flexibility to do great work but also spend more time with their kids, less time on the commute and more time at home.”

It took Ward a global pandemic to realise he was burnt out from seven years of agency life and the general everyday stressors of commuting. Interestingly, Ward found that getting away from the office and travelling around the world was entirely the right medicine, but in a strange turn of fate the cure to his burnout was right under his nose the entire time.

Do you have a moment in PR you'd like to share? Send Elizabeth an email to find out more.