Singing into the evening

Felix, Project Manager at Zühlke in Vienna, doesn't like doing things by halves. How much he enjoys his hobbies is shown above all by his passion for singing and his part-time involvement in the choir of the Vienna University of Technology. Having a good balance between work and leisure is very important to him: with fixed breaks, daily sports sessions and a great interest in everything that happens around him, he manages to create this balance.

Work and leisure time flow smoothly into each other in Felix's case: during his home office time, he became accustomed to various routines that create structure and make it easier for him to switch between work and leisure modes. "Ultimately, it's all a matter of planning. I have a fairly regular daily routine and get up at the same time every day. In the morning I do gymnastics for a short time and listen to the news; in the evenings I often go jogging – not so much a workout, but rather to get into a flow and be outdoors. This routine helps me to concentrate on my tasks as project manager." Felix likes to take a little more time for his lunch break to recharge his batteries. "I use my extended lunch break mainly for cooking, eating and exercise. For me that sometimes means doing a 'dance-like-nobody-is-watching' routine in the kitchen – and then it's back to work."

In his leisure time, Felix likes to strike the right note

After work, Felix pursues a wide variety of interests. However, one hobby is particularly close to his heart: Felix absolutely loves singing! Since 2013 he has been a stand-in for the choir of the Vienna University of Technology, singing the high-tenor part. "I had never sung in a choir before, but when I read the choir's notice in the UoT, I really wanted to give it a try." The group's repertoire features pop music from the 50s as well as more recent songs from the radio. For several years Felix was also active as a board member and took care of administrative matters such as concert organisation and CD production. Since the choir is good for him as work/life compensation, he likes to contribute in return. "The choir is already taking up a lot of time, especially since we started doing 'distance singing' due to the Covid-19 measures. Transforming the weekly choir rehearsals into video productions is very time-consuming, but to me it's totally worth it. It makes me really proud to be part of such a talented group." The jury of the INTERKULTUR Video Awards, which – with thousands of international singers – was held in 2020 in place of the World Choir Games, also recognised this talent and chose the Choir of the Vienna UoT as the winner.

The key to a good balance between work and leisure: Trust

Since the first day of the Covid-19 pandemic, Felix has worked from his home office. "From the very beginning it worked very well and without any problems. I have heard from some other companies that the changeover was a huge mess. Above all, because very little trust was placed in the employees. I can't say that about Zühlke: the only reason that I can arrange my recreation time as I do is that I am free to manage my working time and my energies however I want."

Even his worries that different employee locations would complicate the work have not materialised. "At first I thought that sitting around the home office would turn out to be futile. But fortunately everything works more smoothly, even across hierarchies and national borders. I think this is also due in no small part to the corporate culture." To develop professionally and to be able to carry out his tasks on his own is an important aspect of Felix's work. But of course this also includes working together as a team. "My colleagues are always very interested and communicative. This is also a characteristic of our culture: When I contact people I haven't met yet, they are always open and listen to what I have to say. The consequence of this is that I enjoy my work a lot and my stress level therefore stays low."

But no matter how well working from home is going, Felix is looking forward to spontaneous meetings in the hallway again and to joint lunches with his team. And in the private realm he really hopes that actual choir rehearsals with his friends will soon be possible again.