For today's professionals work-life balance is harder than ever. As I mentioned in my prior post, companies are at the same level of production as they were before all the layoffs started, which means that people are doing more work that they did before. For companies to maintain the same levels of production, employees are working longer hours, trying to do more during their normal work hours, or both. Due to the layoffs, many other people have also found themselves in the position of having to find part-time jobs to supplement their family's income because one of the two bread winners has lost their job.
Be it whichever the case, these people are finding themselves having less time to do the things they used to enjoy. Apart from the added stress of that, they also have added anxiety from all of the work load, with no, or limited, ways to liberate it. This will have negative repercussions both on their personal life and their professional life.
In their personal life, some will spend less time with their spouse and children, which can put a strain on those relationships, which in turn will have a negative effect on their attitude and performance on the job. Some will have less time to do things that they enjoy such as playing sports, watching television, going out with family and friends, and others. These activities are essential because they allow people to relax and relieve stress. If they are not able to relax and get rid of stress, they will be less productive on the job and not as engaged.
Employees who are able to maintain a life-work balance are more productive, have a better attitude at work, feel more job satisfaction, and have better morale. A lack of work-life balance can also lead to safety issues on the job.
I read an interesting article on work-life balance. I also found another on how to help employees maintain the balance.
How can managers help employees balance their work-life balance so that they can stay engaged in their work and be more productive? Should companies limit the amount of hours an employee can work during the week? Should companies have mandatory vacation policies?
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I found the definition of work like balance in the article to be right on point. I agree that there are different stages in life and those stages include different definitions of work life balance. In my career I can relate that to my pre-kid and post-kid stages. My husband and I met in high school, so our routine was established pretty earlier. I was very career driven and that worked fine for us. Once my two sons were born my perspective shifted. It didn't happen over night, but it shifted. I can remember taking only 5 weeks maternity leave with my second son because I felt the need to be back at work, to be back with my staff. Looking back, it was just me... they would have made it without me.
ReplyDeleteI like the concept of achievement and enjoyment. When I think back to recent days and months some of the most memorable days involve a sense of achievement at work and memorable times with my family in the evening.
One last point… Don’t ever underestimate the importance of SELF. I know as a mom SELF can quickly be put on the back burner. The other day I had a Finance Committee meeting in the Rittenhouse Square area of Philadelphia. One of my passions is photography. I did something totally out of the norm for me. After my meeting I parked near Independence Hall and spent about an hour and a half just walking around taking pictures of the city. My norm would have been to be in the car calculating how soon I could make it to the daycare and coordinating the pick up and dinner plans with my husband. Driving home after my meeting and site seeing excursion I felt really good about the day. Taking time for myself really made a difference.
Work life balance is an interesting topic. My last company preached this exact term, yet as an employee I never saw it. With all of the work piling on I found myself up early doing work prior to leaving for my territory, doing work when I came home at night and then again later in the evening.
ReplyDeleteI think all of us need to take time for ourselves and our family each and every day. I agree with Andrea's point about SELF, she makes a great point. One thing I try to do especially being a new father is once I walk in the door at the end of my day, that becomes my time and anything else has to wait. I use the time to be with my wife and son, whether we just hang out, go for a walk, whatever. Any work that has to be done I save it for later in the evening when he goes to bed or for early in the morning the next day. Life is too short and you need to make the most of every moment we can.
Work/Life balance is a great topic and one that I feel some people do realize is necessary and unfortunately, others do not.
ReplyDeleteThe first article you had listed from Worklifebalance.com by Jim Bird really laid things out on the table regarding Achievement and Enjoyment. Something that my department does, even though it's small, is during our weekly meetings, the first order of business to discuss are our personal celebrations. We go around the room and take 2 minutes to talk about successes... either regarding to work or even our personal life. Our one co-worker was celebrating her son becoming potty trained. Humorous, definitely, but also something we can share with one another to make work have more of a personal and family feel. I know most companies may not be able to do so depending on their size, but it's something.
We do not have mandatory vacation policies but, we do, in my opinion, have a generous vacation (PTO) policy. And managers look out for their co-workers. I have overheard managers telling either other managers or other co-workers to go on vacation and to not check their emails/voicemails and enjoy their time off with their family. I think most departments in my company have a good system as far as who will take care of the workload while someone is on vacation so they do not have to worry about it while they are on the beach.
One last comment and then I am done, I apologize for rambling on so much, but my department at work has Team Dinners every 2 months or so. A night where we go out, have dinner, blow off steam, laugh, and have a good time. It is a great team building exercise.
To Andrea and the others, good for all of you. It's important to realize what is really important in life. I think as Americans we become to work-centric and forget what is really important to us. I realize our life goals change from time to time, but I always think it imporant to take care of yourself first. Perhaps it is a shift from where our parents (and professors) felt before?
ReplyDeleteGreat topic. I think work life balance is something that is often preached but unfortunately hard to practice. It's very difficult to try and maintain a work life balance unless your manager utilizes one and encourages you to do the same.
ReplyDeleteJust the other day, after working 11.5 hours (only 1.5 hours longer than supposed to) I asked the rhetorical question to my boss who was closing "anything you need before I leave?" He responds with a "what you're leaving...." I mention something about work life balance and receive a sarcastic "are you sure its not LIFE work balance"
I think its very important as a manager to set the precedent and to lead by example with work life balance. You don't want to pressure your employees into working harder and harder until they resent you for it. Its important to understand that happy employees are more productive employees.