WORK LIFE BALANCE?

Are you juggling competing demands and making tradeoffs

with your time? Are you experiencing the push and pull
between family responsibilities and work? Are you often
preoccupied with work while not working? Does your office
go home with you? Do you find it difficult to give your
spouse/family the same attention you give your job? If
you’ve answered, ‘yes’ to any of these questions then you
may have work life balance issues to contend with.

According to a 2003 research quarterly of The Society for

Human Resources Management Professionals (SHRM), the
term “work life balance”, was first coined in 1986, although
its usage in everyday language was sporadic for a number of
years.

It has been defined in some quarters as, “A state of

equilibrium in which the demands of both a person’s job and
personal life are equal.” While this suggests that a state of
equilibrium is achieved between the demands of a person’s
job and his personal life, the reality is that people (and
indeed organizations) have to
deal with the concept and what it entails from (slightly)
different angles, since an, “all -things-being –equal utopian
state”, may not give a complete picture (as balance, is
something we never fully perfect or completely attain).

If you think of a tightrope walker - who is never balanced in

the sense of being still or stationary, yet is always balancing,
gradually becoming better and more comfortable in his
balance, you will obtain a clearer picture of what the work –
life balance concept is all about
Thus, while the employee faces the dilemma of managing
work obligations and personal/ family responsibilities; the
employer may be challenged by the creation of a supportive
company culture which enables employees focus on their
jobs while at work without jeopardizing the time required to
handle personal/ family concerns.

According to Jim Bird, a researcher on the subject;” work life

balance does not mean an equal balance (i.e. trying to
schedule an equal number of hours for each of our
professional and personal activities, it is more defined by
“who you are!, your values and priorities” Your best
individual work life balance will vary over time; often on a
daily basis. The right balance for you today will probably be
different for you tomorrow. The right balance for you when
you are single will be different when you get married, and
even more different when you start having children and
taking care of the elderly. Bird said it so well when he said,
“there is no perfect, one-size fits all balance you should be
striving for”. Life is more or less a balancing act, with you in
constant search of a moving fulcrum.

Executive Coach, David Zelman said, “Balance per se isn’t a

goal. It is an afterthought, a way of describing an outcome.
Seeking balance is futile because it’s an intangible and, so,
impossible to measure. Better to set concrete objectives in
areas important to you and plan concrete paths to each goal.
Take your life for what it is – a rich and varied story defined
by ever – changing circumstances and priorities (life is not
just the passing of time but is a collection of experiences).

Zelman advises considering life and career as a portfolio. In

each chapter, we have different responsibilities and
priorities: children, home, travel, aging relatives. We all face
a corresponding variety of roles and opportunities on the job:
a big project, moving up the managerial hierarchy, a top
leadership role etc. Balance then becomes a lifelong quest –
balancing among chapters rather than within each chapter.
Thus, there will be times when you have to devote 80% of
your time to work, and other times when you must do the
same for your family. The tough part is recognizing which
chapter of your life demands the most attention per time
and recognizing them for what they are – temporary
episodes, phases which make up a coherent and satisfying
whole.

Bringing it closer home, the last few years has seen an

upward trend in the number of highly qualified men and
women dropping out of mainstream careers due to work life
imbalance. (This is particularly true of the Banking sector) a
further analysis shows the feminine gender to be more
affected by the challenges of work-life balance.

A 2005 Harvard Business Review (HBR) article by Sylvia Ann

Hewlett and Carolyn Buck Lee, state that nearly four in ten
highly qualified women (37%) report that they have left work
voluntarily at some point in their careers. Among women
who have children, that statistic rises to 43%.
This means that childbirth is still a major barrier to women’s
career progression.

A 2007 HBR case commentary written by Rebecca Matthias

(in response to a case study written by Sharman Esarey &
Arno haslberger) stated that a smart, ambitious woman of
child bearing age has three choices. Choice number one is to
forgo motherhood, follow her dream, and attain a lofty
position; in so doing, she will always wonder what life would
have been like had she had children. Choice number two is
to skip a career, become a mother, and always wonder what
she might have attained in the business world. Choice
number three is to do a half-baked job of both (the obvious
choice for most working women).

It goes without saying that we will always have a

juxtaposition of opportunities and responsibilities to contend
with – one must therefore take ownership and accountability
for balancing work while meeting personal and family
obligations.

THE WAY OUT

First, (with the help of a mentor or trusted friend), determine
your values (rank them in order of importance); and
then outline your roles, responsibilities and
relationships. List your present opportunities,
responsibilities and family obligations. Set priorities (based
on your values, relationships, roles and responsibilities).
Then decide where you have to make temporary tradeoffs
(make sure you keep a perspective on future possibilities.
Stephen Covey said, "Anything less than a conscious
commitment to the important is an unconscious
commitment to the unimportant."

"Work to live. Don't live to work."

In conclusion, defining what is important is the challenge

that we face personally. We need to be careful not to confuse
matters perceived as urgent with matters that are deemed
truly important. Don't let the "noise of urgency create the
illusion of importance."

Food for Thought: If you knew you had only one day
to live, what is the ONE most important thing you
would do differently?

Kay Olufemi-Ayoola has been a practicing Career

Development expert and Coach for over 5years; he has
inspired thousands to reach personal and professional
fulfillment and transform their careers. Using individual and
group coaching, conducting hands-on workshops and
seminars and consulting with organizations , he coaches his
clients to advance up the corporate ladder quickly, and love
the job they have or land their dream job. Kay’s active
engagement in Human Resources and Career Development
began in the mid 1990’s as an undergraduate conducting
Personal Achievement Success Seminars (P.A.S.S) and Career
Talks, which were aimed at helping students maximize their
potentials regardless of prevailing obstacles in their
environment. He has extensive work experiences from
various Consulting firms and was Head, Human Resources
Vigeo Oil & Gas Limited, and Chief Operating Officer,
After School Graduate Development Centre before his
appointment as Head, Human Resources &
Administration, Spring Life Assurance Plc (a
subsidiary of Bank PHB). Kay is the founder and
Coordinator of Daystar Christian Centre’s Career
Development Unit – CareerPlus+ (started in 2004). He is a
frequent speaker at seminars conferences and has
published well over 60+ articles on Career Development,
Personal Branding, Career Change & Transitions and
Graduate Employability to date. He is the co-founder &
Executive toolkit: Peak
Partner of
Performance Coaches.

. He can be reached at: 08037207606;

olufemikay@yahoo.com and
careerpluseries@yahoogroups.com.