Publicis Sapient Parents on Mental Health

Our community of working parents has also found that PS plays a valuable part in providing flexibility and support for their careers and families, especially considering the transition into hybrid working, agrees Susanna Abboud; “Flexibility, understanding, and acceptance. Having the understanding that you may not work the typical 9-5 schedule but rather some here and some there, but you get it done.” “PS has always been supportive of family & career growth," says Sonal Mittal, “my daughter proudly says that my mother works at PS and she loves to learn about my team members, my work, and my company.” James Scanlon says it's not just a "balance", but “a series of give and take in both directions”. “My co-workers and clients know my kids, and I know theirs. I love how that has humanized our professional relationships.”

For our PS Parents, focusing on mental health often means making the most of moments where you can have some time to yourself. Harpinder Sing says, “At PS, I can decide important things like 'no meetings' windows, vacation breaks, etc., all with the support of my team, colleagues, and leaders. This helps me spend quality time with my family.” Casey Niederhauser agrees; “Recently, just taking a few minutes before each day to meditate, even if it seems unproductive or too short- it's the intent that matters!”.

But being able to make space for ourselves is often a journey of learning. When asked what advice they would give their younger selves, our PS parents had a goldmine of wisdom to share; Siddhartha Singh; “Do not easily give up to challenges, do not easily build frustration if things don’t work the way you expected.” “Build a support team and rely on them to help when your focus takes a dip towards work,” says Cooper Steele. Amy Martin: “The truth is you can have a fulfilling work life, and you can have a fulfilling family life, but there will certainly be times where one needs more attention than the other. Realizing this is achieving true balance... not that both things get an even 50/50 of your attention all the time, but that the balance of your attention ebbs and flows.”

Although everyone’s experiences are different, it seems that there are some universal sentiments among our PS parents; that there is no one way to be a working parent, that they maintain a learning mindset by rolling with the punches, and that we should all prioritize making time for ourselves when we can. The kids are the future, but so are their parents.