Is the Recession Tipping the Work/Life Balance Scale?
by Liz O’Donnell (Boston)
Telecommuting seemed like such a good idea and you were all set to pitch your boss on working from home. After all, as we’ve reported before, the majority of CFOs surveyed in the CFO Perspectives on Work Life Flexibility study from BDO Seidman, LLP and Work+Life Fit, Inc., think work life flexibility offers “high to moderate” business benefits. By now most people know the many rewards include improved health and well-being for employees who spend more time with family, increased productivity, more staffing flexibility, higher rates of employee retention, cost savings realized by lower overhead and environmental rewards due to fewer commutes. But is now the right time to approach the boss? With stories of layoffs splashed across every newspaper and website, should you prioritize face time over family time?
Work/life coaches will tell you that, now more than ever, it is important to take care of your personal needs and make sure the scales don’t tip in favor of work. Says one executive coach, “Women executives need to exercise and eat right so that they are in good health and can manage the stress caused by a recession. There is no need to work more than an eight hour day.” This coach also suggests increasing networking activity so that you are well positioned when the economy turns around.
Marsha Egan, an executive coach in Reading, Pennsylvania, says that in a down economy, employees often act out of fear and the fear causes them to assume the boss will say no. She suggests going to the upper management and laying out a fact-based, quantitative case for whatever work-life balance plan you have whether that be telecommuting, flex time or just a more manageable project schedule.
In theory, these coaches are probably right. What’s good for employees is usually good for the company. When an employee burns out work and morale suffer and that can have a negative effect on the bottom line. But in reality, it can be risky to advocate for your own needs while your company is struggling. After all, just as employees are feeling fearful, bosses may be too. A senior level banking executive thinks the smartest strategy is to be present in the office. “I am sick of hearing about work/life balance,” she says. “It’s just not the reality.” For this woman, Melanie Heywood’s story is the norm, not the exception. Heywood, a Web Developer says that due to the economy she has had to take on extra work. “Therefore, my priorities have changed with work/life balance in that I am working a lot more hours right now. For instance, this week alone, I worked nearly 40 hours in the first 3 days of the week in order to meet a deadline–some of my work is on-site and some is done remotely from home, so my balance is completely out of whack and I’m working practically round the clock to bring in enough money,” says Heywood.
In these challenging times, it is helpful to take a long-term view of balance. Living a balanced life is rarely possible on any given day and probably not even achievable in the course of a week. However, it may be more attainable when viewed over a month, or a quarter. The reality is as companies struggle and workforces are reduced, there is more work to be done by fewer people. So if you find you need to dig in and help your organization through a rough patch, it’s probably a good idea to do that. Just remember to plan some time for relaxation and renewal when the work slows down or the business bounces back.
