We all hear people talking about finding a perfect work/life balance in their lives. However according to an article in the Financial Times, that is only an issue if your work is viewed as an oppressive evil that must be escaped. But what if your job doesn’t stress you out, what if you enjoy the challenges of meeting new people or working those few extra hours? It all depends on your relationship with those close to you and whether those relationships are sustainable given your choice of career. The whole idea of a good work/life balance is different for everyone, you have to decide what is important to you and makes you happy.
If you feel you want to spend more time with your family and friends or you have some burning sporting ambition you want to achieve then you clearly need to make some choices about your working life. We often hear of politicians who resign their ministerial seats citing ‘not seeing enough of their families’ as the main reason for doing so. There are problems if your family feel they are being neglected by the hours that you work or if the work you are doing starts to affect your physical or mental health. If this is the case then you need to seriously think about your career choice, your choice of employer or the hours you work.
Above all, talk to your employer. Employers are often more flexible than you think and will support good employees in their search for a good work/life balance. James Caan of Dragon’s Den fame, agrees, ‘As an employer, I always encourage my staff not to let their work take over their life. It’s good to have something else to focus on rather than just the office.’ If you need to collect your children from school at a certain time then you may be able to schedule your work around this. No employer wants to lose a good employee, they want to support them and to encourage loyalty from them.
Being able to work from home is a possibility for some as is getting in to work earlier and therefore leaving earlier. If you have to clock in and out at certain times then that is important but many jobs allow staff to check in remotely and clear a lot of work before their colleagues even get in at 9.00 am.
You also need to manage your time effectively – learn to delegate for example. Do not worry about taking that important lunch hour if that is time you need each day to recharge your batteries. Give more responsibility to your staff and trust them to do the work without you having to check up on them all the time. This will free you up to concentrate on the more important things – there may even be some less important meetings that you could ask someone else to attend on your behalf.
Above all though if you want flexible working you still need to be hitting the targets set for you. If you want to work part-time then you need to be keeping in touch with what is going on in the office when you are not there. There is no point turning up after a couple of days off and spending half the day playing catch-up.
Most important of all is talking to your managers and colleagues to ensure you are all working together for the same goal. And that work / life balance may not be as hard to get right as you think. Do not be put off because you think needing to pick up the children from school will be a definite no – you won’t know unless you ask.
Good luck.
Journey Recruitment hopes you have a great day.