Work/Home Life is a Balancing Act
Employer Newsletter - Issue 4, 2011
Alarm clock beeping fills the air, your feet hit the floor and the running doesn’t stop for another 8-10 hours. When you’re finally able to lie in bed and catch up on some much needed rest, rather than recharging, most of the night is spent worrying about all the work that wasn’t accomplished that day. Our busy, American workaholic culture reinforces little support for the importance of relaxation, family time and all other personal endeavors. Not only is it difficult to regain balance once lost, technology has added to the chaos and erased lines between work and daily life. Achieving balance in all dimensions of life is important for recharging and being effective in all aspects of what you do. This balance requires a shift of focus toward the importance of time away from work’s demands.
Beginning the Art of Balance
Results from a variety of work-life balance studies suggest the best place for this cultural shift to begin unfolding is at the workplace. Increasing demands and lack of job security has left employees stretched to their limits to gain a competitive edge. This leaves little time for activities outside of work. The literature also claims that an employee’s success with work-life balance is directly affected by one major determining factor: his/her supervisor. Employees who perceive their supervisor as empathetic and flexible are better able to achieve more balanced lives. It’s not only the written or unwritten policies that need to be in place, but also how management demonstrates their importance.
Tips and Balancing Tricks
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Supportive policy creation and acceptance. Every organization and management group has their limitations. It’s important to implement as many supportive policies as possible. Greatest success is seen in organizations where management’s positive reinforcement is easily identified and openly communicated to employees. Ideas include offering flextime, compressed work schedules, telecommuting, on-site childcare, job sharing with others, taking lunch breaks away from the desk and not staying late day after day.
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Learn to say “no.” Everyone has their workload limit. It’s acceptable to respectfully say “no” if accepting one more additional task will tip the life scale out of balance.
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Exercise honest, open communication. When asking for or accepting additional tasks, be sure all expectations are laid on the table. This honest communication can help prevent stressful situations due to misunderstanding of expected outcomes and deadlines.
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Set realistic goals and focus on accomplishments. As stacks of papers continue to bury you at your desk, set small, realistic goals to chip away at the work and avoid discouragement. Meeting daily goals enhances mood leaving you with sense of accomplishment. Before packing up to go home for the night, take a look back at any small or large accomplishment rather than focusing on items left unchecked on the to-do list. Leaving work in a good mood helps leave work at work, rather than allowing the negative mood to follow you home.
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