It’s Time to Take Action
“This
strange disease of modern life, With its sick hurry, its divided aims”
~
Matthew Arnold ~
In the last post,
we discussed the reasons work/life balance is important, and you know that
others feel as you do, so what do you do about the problem?
You may hate what
has happened to your life. But, you probably don’t know how to change the
landscape. You will be happy to know that you CAN change your life.
Whether you make
this decision for health reasons, relationship reasons or simply out of the need
to get control over your own life, you have more than enough justification and
motivation to make the move.
However, you need
to make a firm commitment to this change. Be realistic about how fast and how
far you can go with this plan.
But, let’s be
clear about something! What we are talking about here is not quitting your job
and hoping that someone will donate money to the cause.
There is a real
difference between achieving balance in your work and family life and the idea
that you don’t have to work at all.
Work is part of
life, and it is healthy and constructive. It pays the bills; it gives us the
reward of real accomplishment and feeling of useful participation in the
community and in society.
What we are
talking about here is the rational balance of your work and social life – a
balance that is all too rare in today’s society, and one whose absence has
caused sky-high healthcare costs and a dramatic increase in stress,
psychological and relationship problems.
Now that we are
clear on the goals and reasons for work/life balance, let’s continue!
If you’ve
decided to jump off the merry-go-round and seek some occasional solace with your
family and friends, you must have a plan for your escape.
First, and
foremost, you must set goals! Involve your boss, co-workers, friends and family
in the process and keep the lines of communication open, and you’ll end up
where you want to be.
Sounds easy,
doesn’t it?
Depending on your
age and how long you have run the rat race, you may find it harder than you
thought it would be but with perseverance and the right support network, you can
succeed.
Are you ready? Good!
Then, without
further ado, let’s proceed!
‘The Career’ Versus ‘The Job’
“Work
expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”
~
C. Northcote Parkinson ~
Before you decide
to tell your boss that you simply must have more time off to spend with the
family, you’ll need to consider a few things.
First, most large
companies now support balanced life plans – in other words, they recognize the
need for their employees to take vacations, take time off to go to the doctor
with a sick child, and get home for dinner at a reasonable hour.
But, in some
companies, that commitment is lip service only. In other words, what the human
resource policies say is one thing. The reality is quite something else.
In smaller
companies, all bets are off!
Some companies are
so small that they are not subject to government regulations regarding hours but
it is important for you to understand that in today’s world, no company in the
U.S. can abuse an employee by working them 24 hours a day.
Remember, there
are labor laws to protect you.
The first thing
you need to do is to understand your rights. If you live in a country other than
the U.S., you will have to look at the labor laws there to determine what you
can expect when you go to talk to your boss.
Remember, the
better prepared you are, the better chance you will have at getting what you
need. If your boss does not know the law, you’ll need to be prepared to
educate her.
Before you begin
to execute your plan to balance your life, you’ll want to think carefully
about your job, and your career goals.
You’ll find some
thought-provoking considerations below.
Think carefully
about each of these things, and add your own considerations to the list, if you
have some that are specific to your own job.
If you really want
balance and change in your life, you have to plan for it and then carefully
execute the plan with dedication and persistence.
Here are some
things to consider:
- ��
- Are
you a member of a union? If so, there are rules regarding your work hours
and these must be enforced. You can talk to a union steward to get help with
this.
- Do
you have a contract that requires you to work certain hours? If you do, you
may have to change jobs to get the balance you want in your life.
- If
you are in a position that is critical to the company – in other words, no
one else can do what you do – then you may out of luck when it comes to
getting reduced hours.
- Are
you making a ridiculous amount of money in your job? If you are, your hours
are probably not negotiable.
The company you
work for certainly expects you to earn the money they pay you and the generous
compensation is meant to reward you for the hours and stress.
Again, you may
have to change jobs and, at the same time, change your salary expectation.
- Does
everyone in your company and/or department work crazy hours? There are some
jobs - like technical support in a company with critical data stored on
servers, or networks – where you will not have the option to negotiate
your departure time on certain days.
Perhaps, on other
days when things are quiet and slow, you can ask your boss to let you leave
early and/or get compensatory time to reward you for the crazy hours you are
expected to work during an emergency.
Don’t despair if
you are a trauma nurse, or you work in the operating room or in other jobs where
you have to work really tough shifts.
Many hospitals,
fire departments and other such companies are now using a 4-day on, 3-day off
schedule or other schedules that let these critical workers spend more time with
their families.
These flexible
schedules also allow employees to schedule daytime appointments, and to
decompress from the sometimes-stressful experiences and events that occur while
they are on the job.
If your employer
does not participate in these schedules, perhaps you want to take your skills
elsewhere.
Seasonal jobs may
give you the opportunity to negotiate hours, as well. Put your nose to the
grindstone during Christmas hours in a retail store, or summer hours in a surf
shop, and ask for extra time off to reward your dedication during the
off-season.
- Look
carefully at your position and determine if you have a ‘job’ or a
‘career’. If you are in it for the long haul and hope to continue the
climb to upper management, you can expect to work much longer hours and
endure a lot more stress.
Can you take
another job in a lower stress environment, perhaps a company that prides itself
on being ‘family friendly’ and still get into management?
If you want to
stay in the company you are in, and continue to climb, and if your company is
not dedicated to a balanced life for their employees, you may find it very
difficult, if not impossible, to balance your life.
- If
you are in a position to do so, and your company does not recognize the need
for and value of a balanced work and family approach, consider going to your
human resource department or to your manager and starting a grass roots
movement to look at this issue.
Of course,
management may immediately think you simply want to do less work than they want
you to accomplish. To counter this, you’ll need to arm yourself with
information.
There are all
kinds of studies on increased productivity, employee retention and performance
that support the decision to create a balanced work and family environment.
Companies like
DuPont, Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, Marriott International, Eddie Bauer Inc. and
many others have instituted these programs and your employer may look to these
leaders to get some ideas.
There are
resources available online for you and for your company. These resources include
seminars for company employees, and documents that teach managers and employees
how to better manage time and workload so that the employee can accomplish more
work, and produce excellent output – all in less time.
Look at sites like
these:
http://www.bc.edu/centers/cwf/
http://cwfr.la.psu.edu/research.htm
http://www.familiesandwork.org/
http://www.workfamily.com/
http://hrweb.mit.edu/worklife/index.html
http://www.uml.edu/centers/CFWC/
You’ll notice
that many of these sites are sponsored by universities and these universities
often participate with companies to help them execute a work/life balance
strategy.
In exchange, the
university gains valuable insight and knowledge that they use to advance their
studies.
You will also
notice that many of these sites have online courses, or self-paced courses to
walk management and/or employees through the process of planning for and
executing a balanced work/life program.
- If
the reason you are working really long hours, under tremendous stress is
that your boss is a lunatic, then you need to change jobs. Before you do
that, you have to honest with yourself.
Be sure that you
aren’t contributing to the problem and that you have honestly tried to improve
your relationship. Be sure that you don’t make things worse by offering to
work longer hours or take someone else’s shift because you feel guilty.
If your attitude
and feelings of obligation about work are contributing to your long hours and
burying you work you can never finish, you have to make some changes in your
work habits. This may sound easy, but it isn’t necessarily so.
Many people
function from guilt and take on more than they should because they want their
bosses and co-workers to like them or they think they will get a promotion or
raise, when they actually aren’t required to do more than perform well in
order to be recognized.
If you have
emotional issues about what is enough, or how to be well liked on the job, you
have to address those.
Some companies
offer job coaches, or life coaches to help you through these obstacles. If not,
consider getting a life coach on your own time or go to a counselor and work
through your issues.
Remember, it is
important to do a good job and even, many times, to go the extra mile, but you
should never put yourself in a position where you do all the work while other
people get paid the same amount or more and get promotions or time off when you
do not.
If you get to this
point in your reading and you have become convinced that you would have to
change companies and jobs in order to achieve the balance you desire, don’t be
discouraged.
While you may
think there are no companies out there that stress work/life balance, you would
be surprised at the number of companies – small and large – that are
embracing this philosophy as a way to attract and retain good employees.
Companies as
diverse as Chubb, J.C. Penney, PrintingForLess, and RSM McLadrey have programs
in place, and report that their employees and managers have enthusiastically
embraced the work/life balance.
Employees are
working together in teams, better than ever before, to ensure that the work flow
continues when they are away at attending a daughter or son’s kindergarten
graduation or taking advantage of a four day work week to catch up on their golf
game.
As this trend
continues, and more companies are forced to consider this balanced environment
to attract and keep valuable employees and skills, your search for the perfect
company will become much easier.
In the
meantime, look around.
These companies
are much easier to find than they used to be and it is more acceptable today to
say that you want this balance – whether you are male or female, young or
experienced, or working as an executive or a retail clerk.
The last area we
need to discuss in the work half of the work/life balance is Time Management.
This may not apply
to everyone, but it certainly applies to many people.
In surveys done
across many job categories, including construction, service industries like
hotels and restaurants, small business owners and corporate moguls, a large
percentage of those surveyed said that they felt they needed to improve their
time management skills so that they didn’t need to spend as much time at work.
Many wanted to
reduce the time they had to spend reworking tasks they had already performed
because they had done it wrong the first time.
You will find a
few simple tips below, to get your time under control.
If you do these
things, you will find that, even in the most stressful and time-consuming jobs,
you can reduce the hours you spend at work, and arrive home in a less stressed,
more family-friendly frame of mind!
Make a ‘To
Do’ List – Then put
these items in order, starting with the most critical. If you could only get one
thing done today, what would be the most important?
Cross the items
off the list as you complete them, and don’t be distracted. Stay focused!
Since we all have
interruptions, be sure that, if you don’t accomplish the items toward the
bottom of you list on that day, you add them to your list the next day so you
don’t drop them.
Use a daily
planner if that makes things easier.
Don’t Waste
Time – Use your spare
minutes well. Take the train to work instead of driving and use that time to
read critical reports you may have to review, or read your new equipment
training manual on the bus on the way home.
If you are going
to take a break during the day and there is someone you have to see, stop by
their office and grab them to go for coffee, then talk about the issue and
resolve it while you are walking out in the sunshine and enjoying your java.
You’ll feel like
you took a break AND got something accomplished at the same time.
Just Say
‘No’ - If your boss
wants you to work late and you have a family engagement, but you could work late
the next night or come early in the morning, suggest alternatives and see if
those will work.
Don’t be so
quick to accept the command without probing to find out if there is another way
to handle it.
If a co-worker
asks you to lunch and you MUST finish a report by 3:00, politely decline the
invitation and suggest dinner or coffee later instead, and get the report done.
That way you
don’t have to give up the pleasurable experience, but you won’t be stressed
out and working until 9:00 p.m. with your boss standing over your shoulder
bemoaning the delay.
If the project
your boss dumps on your desk is a ‘rush’ but she already gave you something
that must be completed today, ask for clarification on priorities and give your
boss a reasonable projection of how long it will take to do both projects and
whether you can do both.
Don’t just take
the project on and then not finish the other task she gave you, or you will both
be unhappy. Speak up!
Know Your Brain
– Do you know what the
Circadian Clock is? It’s that little clock in your brain that controls when
you feel the most wide awake and when you want to go to sleep.
If you are a
morning person, attack the most difficult problems in the morning when your
brain is the sharpest. That way you won’t have to rework the problem the next
day when you discover that the ‘afternoon you’ made the wrong decision about
the budget.
Get Enough
Sleep – Your brain can
operate on a short nap for a day, but if you are not sleeping enough, you will
not think well or process information and you’ll make mistakes and end up
staying late to fix them.
Advertise Your
Schedule - If you hate
getting phone calls first thing in the morning, before you get your day
organized and have your first cup of coffee, then let your calls go to voicemail
until you feel ready to take the calls.
You will be more
focused and get more accomplished, instead of having to say, “I’ll have to
get back to you on that” after hearing a ten minute explanation of the latest
crisis.
Be Your Own
Master – Sit down with a
pencil and paper or a calendar and figure out how much free time you have.
Schedule and plan
your activities at work and get your personal and family obligations on the
calendar. Treat these personal obligations with the same respect you would treat
a business meeting.
Don’t cancel
personal appointments unless it is a real work emergency and, in the case where
you MUST cancel, reschedule immediately and apologize to your friend or family
member.
Explain what is
happening so they don’t think they are unimportant to you. And be sure to keep
the appointment you make with them the next time!
Don’t
Procrastinate or Agonize –
Don’t spend time during a family dinner worrying about the presentation
tomorrow. Put your mind back where it belongs. Worrying never helped anyone
accomplish a goal.
If you are
prepared for the presentation, just do it. If you aren’t prepared, it is
doubtful that you will be prepared by the morning so don’t worry about it.
Don’t
procrastinate because you don’t like a particular activity.
FIRST do those
things you dislike the most, and then reward yourself by doing the things you
most like to do.
Put things on the
calendar and stick to the dates – don’t talk yourself into waiting or you
will just have more to do tomorrow!
Train and
Delegate – Don’t tell
yourself you don’t have the time to show someone else how to do that job that
you REALLY don’t have to do.
Take the time to
teach them and soon you will have a well-oiled team machine going, with everyone
doing what they are capable of doing.
Don’t worry that
the employee will take your job.
If you create a
functioning team with everyone performing well, your reputation as a manager,
mentor and coach will give you a shot at that promotion you want.
And, when you
don’t have to do ALL the work yourself, you will find a lot more time to get
those other tasks done and still get out of the office, shop or store on time
and get home for Mom’s birthday dinner.
The other benefit
to this time management technique is that, when you go on vacation or take that
long-awaited three day weekend to go skiing, you will not have to call the
office every hour to be sure there isn’t some problem you have to solve.
Your family will
greatly appreciate having your attention on a dedicated basis for a few days of
much-needed bonding.
And don’t
overlook job-sharing programs, and cross-training as concepts that will nicely
cover responsibilities and ensure that the company keeps running when you are
not there.
Get Organized –
It is impossible to manage your schedule if you can’t find things or if you
have to recreate work or reinvent something because you lost it.
Take that Action
List to heart and, starting today, put a task at the top of the list to organize
files, or to rearrange the store or inventory so it is easier to stock or to
find things.
Once you have
things organized, don’t let them get out of control again.
The only way to
justify the work involved in that reorganization is if you KNOW you will never
have to go through it again!
Keep a
Realistic Perspective -
Setting unrealistic goals is a mistake – whether it is the completion date of
a software project, or the time you think you can deliver that report to your
manager, if you underestimate the time required to get the work done, you will
end up working late and you’ll look bad to your boss.
Be realistic about
when you plan to complete tasks and do your homework to be sure that you can
accomplish the task in this timeframe.
Consider other
ways to get the job done if you think these considerations will help you meet
the deadline faster, but don’t promise what you can’t deliver.
It is good to set
goals that challenge you, but if you can never reach the goal, you will not do
yourself any favors.
We’ll talk about
your goals and what you really want in a little while, but for right now, you
need to think realistically about your dedication to a balanced life.
It will come with
some sacrifices in certain areas, but it will reap many benefits in your life
– health, relationships and happiness to name a few.
Is balancing your
work and your family life important enough for you to make some tough choices?
If it isn’t, you may not get the balance you want.
Decide NOW!
Start TODAY!
