So a few weeks ago, in a Starbucks in Epping, I saw this man …
For those who don’t know who he is, it’s music icon Rod Stewart.
I appreciate his best days as a singer are over but the fact he’s 74, still has hit albums and sold out concerts and looks pretty much like he did 40 years ago, means he can look back on his life as pretty bloody successful.
There’s lots of stories about Mr Stewart.
His love life.
His happy feud/rivalry with Elton John.
His tightness.
But what isn’t talked about much is his love of his family.
I saw it when he walked into Starbucks.
In came his wife and a bunch of his kids – young and old – and they all sat together, chatting … laughing and sharing coffee and croissants.
I know this is something we see everyday, all around the World, but there was something lovely in seeing an international Rock Star act like the doting father and husband he obviously is.
I’m not denying he has made some pretty shit mistakes in the past … but without wishing to defend that … sometimes good people make bad mistakes and whatever happened in the past, at least he seems to remember what is truly important.
Nothing says this more than an interview he gave this year …
I don’t know about you, but I think this is wonderful.
It’s also weird his brothers and sisters are NINETY YEARS OLD.
But what I love most is that it is apparent for all his wealth, he feels his family is what truly makes him rich.
Even his ex-wife, Rachel Hunter, doesn’t really have a bad word to say about him.
Their divorce wasn’t because of infidelity, it was because she was young and after 13 years of him being a doting husband, she felt she wanted to go out and live more.
And even then, she – and he – made sure everything was both amicable and respectful.
The reason I’m saying this is because work/life balance is under greater pressure than ever.
Sure companies are talking about it more than ever before, but in the main, what they really mean is ‘it’s important to have a home life but make sure you do your work first’.
I also accept, it’s much easier to have work/life balance when you’re a multi, multi millionaire because when Mr Stewart was starting out, he was so in debt, his manager and record company pushed him to go out on tour so he missed a lot of his oldest kids early years.
But here’s the thing.
If we all appreciate that work/life balance is important [even if that is simply because it makes you more effective at work] and mental health has become an issue that has been accepted as a real issue, how come this isn’t included in any procurement demands from clients or agencies?
Maybe it is, but I haven’t heard about any.
I have heard of contracts that demand female representation.
And I have heard of contracts that demand people of color inclusion.
But nothing on mental health or work/life balance.
Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that issues of gender and background are being forced into contracts [but I’m so sad this is what it took to have it happen] but what about making sure these people are looked after once they are there?
Why isn’t that part of the deal?
Why is that not a key criteria of what we are all talking about?
Why is that something shareholders don’t demand of the companies they invest in?
I think we can all guess, but if you’re still not sure, head over to Corporate Gaslighting and read what some people have discovered are some of the reasons why.