MY WORK-LIFE BALANCE SHEET
I suppose it says something about my problems with co-dependence that I’m thinking of lying to my computer screen. See, I just found this Web site called Quintessential Careers, founded by Dr. Randall Hansen, and on it is a work-life balance quiz The thing is, I was raised in a family of successful CEO’s whose idea of work-life balance was remembering not to back over the family on their way out of the garage. Needless to say, failing a test is not an option in this gene pool. But one look at the questions on Dr. Hansen’s quiz, and I know I’m going to be staring down the long barrel of defeat, or mired in the swamp of untapped potential, or some other metaphor that indicates severe choking in a clutch situation. (Once upon a time, I could have used the Boston Red Sox to drive this point home, but as of 2004, even that die-hard comparison went by the boards.)
So, even though this is an anonymous test, and the Quintessential Careers privacy policy guarantees that my e-mail will not be used for nefarious purposes, still I contemplate lying to a computer. What choice do I have? I mean, listen to some of these true-or-false questions: Number 6: “I feel stressed out most of the time.” Number 15: “I almost always bring work home with me.” Or unlucky Number 13: “I do what I do because so many people depend on me for their support.” Clearly, this test demands rigorous honesty, and clearly I must fudge my way out of that approach faster than you can say “Dr. Phil.” To do otherwise would be to let down my entire lineage. The proud Stern men did not raise a quitter. (No, they raised a recovering addict with ADD, but that’s another story.)
If one answers “true” to two or less of Dr. Hansen’s inquiries, the grading scale shows that person to be in pretty good work-life balance, and urges continued vigilance in keeping the balance up. Three to five true responses finds you teetering on the edge, and suggests making changes before being overwhelmed by work. More than five true responses puts you fully in “out of balance” territory, and warns that things may come crashing down around you. Thankfully, Dr. Hansen does provide a link to Ten Tips For Achieving Better Life Balance, so those of us who score high on this quiz are given some good advice as to how to get back on track. Hey, wait a minute....what did I just say? “Those who score high...” That’s it! I scored fifteen out of fifteen on the quiz: the highest possible score! I am, after all, proudly upholding my family legacy as an overachiever. I’m a winner! At least that’s what I will tell the men in the Stern family. And since they’re too busy to check out my blog anyway, the only people who will know my horrible secret about struggling to be a sensitive husband and father while achieving success at work are the people who are reading this right now. And that number is, potentially, only in the millions. What a relief!
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Related Stories: | Topics:Work/Life, Randall Hansen, Worklife, Jobs and Labor, Business, Baseball |
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Recent Comments | 3 Total
February 27, 2007 at 4:05am by Andrea
I' really fed up to read or listen to people talking about work-life balance.
It' really anachronistic and very old economy kind of way of looking to people!!
What really matters nowdays it's about work life integration.
If we talk about balance it means we areng to compromise something...and we don't!! We want to be fully a person..with a sane and natural development
of personal potential to be exploited in life. It means to be something and not to do something in order to be only after 6.00 o'clock or during the WE.
Ciao
andrea
February 27, 2007 at 8:49am by Wally Bock
I'm with Andrea up to a point. I like the integration idea since work is not something separate from life, it's a part of life. But her post implies that you can do it all. You can't. At least not all at once. There are trade-offs. If you're on a business trip in Portugal, you can't be at your daughter's soccer game in Des Moines. You've got to make choices about what's important to you right now and what will be. You have to juggle the balls of life. Just don't drop the glass ones, which probably have something to do with relationships.
March 5, 2007 at 1:06pm by Ace Concierge
Work/life balance is a real issue, especially in today's fast paced 24/7 hectic society. We work longer hours, have more demands, more choices, bring work home, and are available any time of day at the click of a button.
Work life has crossed the line into personal life, leaving little "me" time to refresh and refocus. Our personal lives begin to suffer from such a strain and drain on our time. Statistics show the amount of stress related illnesses due to the increase in career demands, and little personal time have created an overworked highly stressed workforce.
Many companies are implementing work life programs to assist with a better balance to help out their time-starved staff, thereby reducing turnover, absenteeism, illnesses, and accidents, while increasing loyalty, bottomline, emotional health, dedicated and engaged staff, and a more content employee.
The changing role of women in the past decades has also added to their personal struggles and challenges of being a wage earner and still the main caregiver. Adding WLB to a benefit package, does more than help the employee, it benefits the organization and culture of the company.
There is so little time in the day to manage all personal business, while on company time and any services or solutions that can be created are a win-win situation.
WLB is the key to a satisfied and productive workforce.