Work-life Balance as a Software Engineer at Crunchyroll
“You will never feel truly satisfied by work until you are satisfied by life.”
– Heather Schuck
Balancing your professional and personal life can be challenging, but it’s essential. In our rush to “get it all done” at the office and home, it’s easy to forget that our productivity plummets as our stress levels spike. Stress can zap our concentration, make us irritable or depressed, and harm our personal and professional relationships.
Have you ever heard about the Wheel of Life? It is one of the most basic and powerful tools you can use when trying to live a more balanced life. A tool that gives you a quick 360-degree snapshot of how things are going, so you can confront and then upgrade your limiting factors.
The more balanced the Wheel Of Life is, the easier it is to move on through life. You can take an assessment to find out our wheel.
In this blog post, I outline tips and tricks that transformed my life and continue to help me as a Software Engineer at Crunchyroll. I will describe my company’s benefits and how I manage my leisure time. I am not a health expert. I am merely sharing my personal experience.
Improving work-life balance at work
First, let’s look at some ways I use to improve my work-life balance in the workplace, along with the benefits Crunchyroll offers to me as an employee.
1 . Gym & Yoga classes
“A healthy body makes a healthy spirit.”
I’m a sporty person who believes that “Movement is Life”. I try to be on the move whenever I get a chance to lead a sedentary lifestyle and work. I try different directions, from yoga and stretching to body-building. I made the activity my daily habit, inspiring me to be healthy and in good shape.
Crunchyroll has a gym in the office, making my day perfect at the workplace. There are also offered online yoga classes along with offline ones.
This daily habit protects me against those aches and pains that come from time spent on my laptop (it happens to the best of us) that can lead to serious long-term complications if left unmitigated. It also restores me and positively alters my mood, equipping me with a better mindset to go about my day.
2. Well-being sessions
Crunchyroll regularly organizes well-being sessions on different topics, such as Financial Education, Sessions with Psychologists or Sexologists, Burnout, and others.
When done correctly, wellness programs give employees incentives, tools, social support, privacy, and strategies to adopt and maintain healthy behaviors. These sessions do a pretty good job of helping employees improve health behaviors. There are many reasons it’s beneficial for companies to support and encourage wellness in the workplace, including:
- Improves employee health behaviors
- Improves employee health
- Increases productivity
- Improves employee engagement
- Improves teamwork
- Improves morale
I enjoy attending these sessions, they give a fresh look at some important sides of human life.
3. Parties and Team Buildings
“Team building is the process of enhancing the bonds between members of a group to help them accomplish their goals more efficiently.”
I was talking once to my cousin about my plans for the next few days and it appears to be another team-building, so she said that I have not a job, but a continuous holiday. It is partially true when you like what you’re doing at work. Nevertheless, we work hard and play hard. Crunchyroll offers prepaid team buildings each quarter, along with parties and celebrations. I attend these events with great pleasure. I feel comfortable and free being myself, sharing personal news, dancing, and having fun with my teammates and colleagues from other departments.
Team building creates a stronger employee bond, improves team communication, and encourages collaboration. Hopefully, the pandemic time passed and we can meet more often, know each other better and create new friends and groups of interest.
4. Additional Medical Insurance
Crunchyroll provides Private Medical Insurance, including diagnostic visits and investigations by highly qualified specialists of modern private medical institutions. Even the employee’s children are fully covered according to the existing Crunchyroll Insurance program. I know that some of my teammates don’t use it, but health is the highest priority for me. I regularly undergo a health check to keep calm so that I’m not only in great shape but also totally healthy.
Having health insurance has many benefits. It protects you and your family from financial risks like home or car insurance does. Even if you are in good health, you never know when you might have an accident or get sick.
5. Summer Fridays
This one is my favorite. What does it mean? Crunchyroll offers their employees to work Monday through Thursday and have Fridays off for the summer. It’s the second year I’m enjoying the Summer Fridays in Crunchyroll and I can say that I won’t change it for any other bonus.
It is always not enough time to manage everything, especially when you work full-time, have a three-year-old son, and do a lot of housework. And, for sure, you need time for hobbies and yourself. This is where Summer Fridays come into play. I feel more productive, as I have enough time to deal with my affairs on Friday and then rest on the weekend.
Improving work-life balance at home
Now, let’s look at some ways I use to keep my life balanced at home.
- Time with family
“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”– Mother Teresa
Family is our power and can give us the maximum resource and safety, both in sorrow and joy. The main thing here is empathy. I try to put down my phone and enjoy the moment of playing with my child. I also don’t forget about my parents, and we are still kids till our parents are alive. Just make a short visit to them, ask for a piece of advice, or remind them of pleasant moments or funny stories from my childhood. It always makes us both feel happy and loved.
2. Hobbies
Thinking of my hobby, I can say that I don’t have any besides sports, but sports is more like a lifestyle, not a hobby. And, one day, I realized that I like to do something new from time to time. Trying new things and getting out of your comfort zone can boost energy, especially if it’s something you’ve always wanted to do. If the new activity is challenging or complex, you may even slip into the flow — a state well-known as the antidote to burnout.
Thus, I mastered things I could not imagine recently I can do: clay crafting, baking cake with no sugar, gluten, and dairy, doing the splits, air balances, origami(thanks to my son), and other stuff. It seems that I’m still discovering myself and a hobby I will be passionate about till the end of my life, but I’m not sure.
3. Breaks and vacations
Our brain, body, and eyes need relief from the focused effort. It is essential to take a small break every hour to walk away from your desk. For me, it’s frequently not enough, and I usually try to vary my workplaces during the week. Great that Crunchyroll allows a mixed working schedule, which means we can work 2–3 days from home and 2 from the office. I also practice working outdoors. While I’m changing up my environment, the feeling of fresh air and sunlight can be refreshing. If you don’t have time during work, see if you can take a meeting at the park or go over your notes at an outdoor cafe.
Sometimes, unplugging means taking vacation time and shutting work completely off for a while. Whether your vacation consists of a one-day staycation or a two-week trip to Bali, it’s essential to take time off to physically and mentally recharge.
4. Spiritual development
Sometimes after long working days, I feel overthought or disconnected from myself. Spiritual development helps me return this connection with gratitude, admission, and meditations. Trusting in the process, and knowing that I have done enough at the end of a productive or restful day is essential. Without this habit, one can soon become overwhelmed and lose sight of what matters. Left unattended, this can quickly become an infinite loop of negative self-talk. What helps is to recognize that there are so many things outside of my control, but I am the agent of everything inside my control. It is fundamental to developing a growth mindset. I practice meditations, listening to mantras, and reading spiritual books.
Conclusion
Creating work-life balance and integration is an ongoing and fluid process. You’ll constantly learn and adapt as your interests and circumstances change over time.
Let it be fun! And don’t forget to revisit your priorities to see what’s changed periodically. Don’t hesitate to use the benefits your company offers. Never give up and try to live your life fully, that is the primary purpose of the human being.
