BALANCING WORK AND LIFE... MAKING CHANGE There are practical measures you can take to create a better work and life balance. Think about changes, start to put them into action, and lead your team through your good example. ADAPTING WORK ROUTINES To be successful in today’s workplace, organizations and employees have to be open to new ways of working. Notice how globalization, new technology, and new employment trends are forcing change, and look at ways of adapting your work routine. ACHIEVING BALANCE Organizations that actively promote work-life strategies benefits from better recruitment and improves staff retention – their staff suffer from less stress and take less sick leave. The economy also benefit because the job market stabilizes, giving more people the opportunity to work. Society benefits because parents can more easily provide for the health and happiness of their families. Realize that a good work-life balance beneficial for all, because individuals who achieve this balance tend to perform better, enjoy good health, and achieve sustainable success. WORKING HOURS Decide how many working hours a week are right for you. Some people want to work fewer hours, for example, to accommodate higher education. Others may prefer to work more hours so that they can earn extra income. Clarify your objectives so that you can make better decision about your career. Consider part-time options such as job-sharing, where two employees share one job; term-time working, where an employee has leave during school holidays; and “V” time working, where an employee works reduced hours with the guarantee of returning to full-time work later. WORKING FROM HOME Home working is where employees agree to do some or all their work from home. They usually make a dedicated space for work at home and also share “hot desk” or “flexi desks” at the office. New technology has made home working more possible in recent years – it is especially suited to jobs like computer programming, market research, and journalism. Before you opt for home working, make sure that you are able to set clear boundaries between work and the rest of your life. WORKING FLEXIBLY Flexible working schemes are becoming more common. “Flexi-time” allow you to set your own daily working hours. “Flexi-leave” means you can break annual leave into long-weekends and half-day. “Compressed hours working” allows you to work the hours of a normal five-day week within four days, “Annualized hours” allow you to work a set number of hours each year in your own time. Find out what options are available to you. WORKING SMARTER, NOT HARDER A common myth is that the results you achieve are directly related to how hard you work. However, greater effort does not always equal greater effectiveness. Use your time efficiently, learn to delegate, and make sure you switch off when you leave the office. USING TIME EFFICIENTLY Sometimes a poor work-life balance is a symptom of poor time management. Realize that time is you most valuable resource: ultimately, your ability to “save time” or “waste time” determines how well you balance your work and life. Have you ever systematically recorded and assessed your work time? Do you employ an effective time-management system to plan your working week? Take a moment now to identify one “time vampire” that eats into your available time and, also, one “time saver” that can win you back some time. TIME-SETTING TIPS There are habits you can develop to help you use your time more effectively at work and improve your productivity: Monitor and review your time at work to make sure you are working effectively. Break tasks into manageable sizes, and schedule them accordingly. Prepare daily activity sheets to identify your key priorities, meetings and deadline – make sure that your team members have access to these. Create a diary on your computer, update it daily, and refer to it to make sure that you are on track. Encourage your team to makes their own decisions, rather than referring to you about every issue – there is not enough time in the day. TIDYING YOUR WORK AREA De-cluttering your work area encourages mental clarity and sharper focus so that you are better able to deal with your workload. Schedule time each week to de-clutter your office and master your desk. Your desk surface should be reserved only for current, high-priority projects. Get a large waste paper bin and purge your desk-top and drawers if any unnecessary paper. Make sure that your computer filing system is up to date and easy to navigate around. SIMPLIFYING YOUR LIFE Success has traditionally been define as “more” – more money and possessions, a car with more horsepower, a job with more responsibilities, a social life with more friends. Recognize that too much of “more” can clutter up your life, it can leave you over-stretched, over-committed, and overwhelmed. Avoid losing sight of your true values and real priorities. In this way, you can let go of excess and focus on what is most essential. THINGS TO DO Think about what is essential to you. Find out whether your colleagues’ priorities conflict with your own. Plan solutions that take into account everybody’s particular needs. DELEGATING EFFECTIVELY One of the biggest blocks to enjoying a healthy work-life balance is the failure to delegate. Recognize that if you are able to delegate effectively, you will have more time and space to set your own goals and to organize, manage, and coach your team. Delegation ensures that no-one is indispensable, it gives colleague opportunities to grow and to prove themselves, and it helps managers evaluate potential. Remember that positive delegation means that you have enough time and energy to steer your team towards its true purpose and success. It also ensures that you do not drown in over-tiredness and, in the long run, let your team down. ASSESSING YOUR WORKLOAD Are you constantly overloaded with work? >> have the skills and confidence to delegate tasks. Are you doing tasks that a team member could do better? >> hand the task over to the relevant team member. Are there any tasks that can only be done by you? >> Prioritize your time and energy on these tasks. CASE STUDY – Learning To Delegate John’s first boss consistently disempowered his team by refusing to invest time in training them, and he always double-checked their work. John recognized that he was displaying similar managerial traits and decided to break this negative pattern. He called a team meeting and declared his intention to make changes. He handled any skeptical queries with quiet reassurance. From then on, if staff asked him to solve a problem, he encouraged them to come up with solutions of their own first, rather than supplying an answer. He invested time in having progress review meetings, guidelines and understood what was expected of them. His greatest satisfaction came from hearing the positive feedback from his staff – they felt valued and motivated. ONE-MINUTE EXCELLENCE Punctuate your daily work schedule with moments of quiet. Take one minute of excellence to review goals, strategy, and balance: one minute is often enough to give you an idea that can help you work smarter, not harder. Ask yourself questions, like, “is this the best use of my time?” and “Is there a better way to do this?” Give yourself “time out” to make sure you are not being distracted by urgent, but unimportant tasks. QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF Am I using my time effectively or is there a better way I could organize myself? Is there an easier way I could approach this task? Could I delegate this work to someone who would be better able to deal with it? Do I spend enough time on priorities, or am I distracted by other tasks? Do I create enough time and space for family and friends? Do I allocate any time for reviewing, revising, and improving working practices? UNDERSTANDING CHANGE Understanding the psychology of change can help you make changes for the better. Be specific: think about the changes you could makes, the people who could offer you support, and the obstacle you may encounter – and then take action. BEING OPEN TO CHANGE Change is inevitable in life, whether you actively seek it or try to avoid it. You can deal with change in two primary ways: either resist it or welcome it. Bear in mind that resistance to change usually creates more problems than it avoids. It can cause greater fear, anxiety, procrastination, and imbalance. You can feel stuck, and your life will not move forward. Recognize that resistance is not a solution, and that your life will not change if you will not change. Instead, have courage and welcome change. Take a leap of faith and make adjustments for the better by being willing to take a risk. If you adopt a proactive approach to change, it will pay dividends. BENEFITING FROM CHANGE To make a change happen, you must get leverage: this mean that you must understand how change will affect you. You can do this in two ways. Assess the cost of not making a change for the better in your work and life balance. What will be the cost to your quality of life, your relationships, and your effectiveness at work? Alternatively, assess the benefits of making the change. How much happier will you be? How will your family and friends feel? How much more rewarding will work be? Use your answer as leverage to help motivate you to make changes. CREATING CHANGE Identify what it is you want to change. Be specific. What is it about your work and life balance that you want to improve? It is fewer working hours, more free weekends, less commuting? Next, ask yourself who do you need to speak to about it? Is it your manager, colleagues, customers and/or your partner? What new action will you undertake? Will you delegate more, attend fewer meetings, or stop saying “yes” to unessential tasks. THINKING NEGATIVELY I don’t like working such long hours I waste time going to meeting I spend too much time travelling to work THINKING POSITIVELY I must delegate work more effectively I will only attend essential meeting I could work from home more often SAYING “NO” TO UNESSENTIAL TASKS Many people continually find themselves overloaded with work because they find it difficult to say “no”. Realizes that you can change this pattern: if you know that you will not have the time to deal with something, be honest: “I would like to help, but my current list of priorities is taking up all my time.” “Are you absolutely sure you need my input at this stage? If not, please come back to me a later date.” “I understand that the schedule is tight, but my own project is delayed. Can someone help you?” “I’m sorry that I am unable to deal with your task, but I can offer advice that may be of use instead.” FINDING SUPPORT A common block to making changes is unhealthy independence. If you try to make changes entirely under your own steam, you can block yourself off from other people‘s encouragement, support, and inspiration. Take a moment to make a list of all the people who might be able to support you in having a better work-life-balance. Make a list of other possible sources of support, such as books, training course, and specialist networks. RECOGNIZING OBSTACLES Internal obstacles to change, such as fear of failure, usually outnumber external obstacles, such as an uncompromising boss. To create a change, let go of your old patterns of thinking and behaving, let go of old doubts and fears. Once your mind is clear, you will be in a better position to address any external obstacles you may face – and these are often not as insurmountable as you imagine. OVERCOMING INTERNAL OBSTACLES TO CHANGE SELF-DOUBT- I feel awkward about initiating this change. SOLUTION- Acknowledge your doubts but recognize that you do not have for face change on your own. FEELING OVERWHELMED- I can only handle so much change. SOLUTION- Keep yourself focused on the benefits of the change you are making. INNER FEARS- I lack the confidence to make this change. SOLUTION- Ask for feedback from a trusted colleague to assess the reality of your concepts. NEGATIVE THINKING- In the past, changes have backfired. SOLUTION- Remember an occasion when you were forced to make a change, but it worked out well. TAKING ACTION The key to making any change is to begin: one small step is enough to start the ball rolling. Either you can act or you can wait for something to happen. Waiting for a change to happen is called procrastination, and this is a major block to change. Procrastination is a thief of time. It stops you from taking responsibility for your life. It corrupts creative thinking, decision making, and proactive living. Decide what change you want to make, get leverage, ask for help, address the obstacles, and then decide to act. Ask yourself, “What is the best next step I could take to achieve a better work-life balance?” and “When will I take this step?” Schedule a date in your diary and stick to it. Making Changes- Once you have pinpointed a change you want to make, and have worked to eliminate any possible obstacles, you are ready to implement it. Decide on change >> Overcome obstacles >> Take the necessary action Dealing with Obstacles- A manager had witnessed many changes within her organization during a short period of time. She was cynical about a further change her boss has outlined, but she had to rise to the challenge. CASE STUDY Kim, a manager in the communication industry, was asked by her boss to increase sales, but without an equivalent increase in resources. She was cynical about being able to increase the sales figures, but she called her team together and informed them their concerns and ensured that they felt understood. She encouraged their creative input and followed up their ideas. Although Kim took the leadership role, she involved everyone in decision-making, because she realized that this was essential for the team’s ongoing commitment. She noted how ready each team member was to the proposed change and encouraged the risk-takers to lead. Kim then kept focused on managing the change and its outcome. Together, Kim and her team successfully achieved the seemingly impossible results. LEADING BY EXAMPLE Managers are most effective when they act as a role model and lead by example – in this way, they bring out the best in themselves and others. Create a good team culture, coach your team, and ensure that your staff maintains a work-life balance. LEADING THE WAY An effective manager is a good role model. Make sure you lead by action and not just words – always demonstrate what is required. Remember that people learn best by example. As a manager, you are in a position to teach and demonstrate the importance of healthy work and life balance. Think about how you might best do this. For example, leave the office on time so that you encourage your staff to do likewise. A GOOD ROLE MODEL – Be an example to your team by implementing a good attitude, a strong set of values, and proactive behavior. As you display these qualities yourself, you will inspire your team to go the extra mile. • Prioritizes action • Enjoy work • Exercise regularly • Keep regular working hours • Takes annual leave GIVING GUIDANCE As a manager, it is your job to steer the team culture – this is a set of agreements about how best a team will work together. When you are creating a team culture, focus on vision, values, relationships, and key issue such as work-life balance. Be explicit about what you want. Tell people you want them to be effective rather than exhausted. Make sure that your team members know that you do not require them to give their all for the job at the expense of their home lives. Reinforce a work-life balance every time you conduct interviews, give feedback, do performance reviews, or lead team meetings. BUILDING HEALTHY TEAM It is in a manager’s interest to have a continually overworked team, because the cost of overworking is too high. Teamwork deteriorates, performance falters, relationships suffer, and the team spirit eventually dries up. Monitor the health of your team, keep gauging their energy, and be alert to the danger of burnout. If you drive your team to exhaustion, they will not be able to produce the results you need and you will lose their loyalty. Make sure that team members are able to be creative and are given the chance to offer ideas. BANISHING GUILT A “guilt culture” is one of the biggest drains on personal effectiveness at work. The term refers to the pressure people feel to work long hours, work weekends, skips lunch breaks. Forgo holiday leave, and miss family commitments. Guilt cultures are often perpetuated by managers and team members, but organizations pay a high price in return. Realize that overworking blunts performance and long hours do not necessarily increase productivity. Banish guilt and liberate the talent of your team. COACHING OTHERS For a team to work well, each team member must work to their optimum personal effectiveness. Coach your staff to have a better work-life balance. Coaching may include one-to-one sessions, time-management training, or making helpful information available. Remember, the right balance between work and life varies between people. Build rapport, listen, understand, and then create a program to suit individual needs. COACHING TECHNIQUES Coaching is a valuable skill that you can use in one-to-one session with your staff, and in your daily interactions with people. Aim to gain rapport and trust because this is the first step in good communication. Remember that the key to effective listening is being able to see situation from other people’s points of view. If you are working with a coacher, help them create a well-formed action plan to follow. Make sure that you clearly outline the steps, timing, and people involved in any action. Being a Coach- Listen to the coach, but also give constructive feedback. Offer advice if you are asked, but let the coach develops his or her own solution. RESETTING THE BALANCE Remember that it is in your interest that your team members have healthy home lives. Of course, business does sometimes involve unpredictable change, crises, busy seasons, unforeseen meetings, difficult deadlines, weekend conferences, and travel abroad. A work-life balance is not static and is always changing – there will be times when home life suffers. Be quick to reset a healthy work-life balance as soon as possible. Don’t just push on. Remember, balance is the key to sustainable long-term success. 1. Realize that everyone benefits when you balance your work and life. 2. Set a target for the number of hours you want to work. 3. Make sure you always take all your allocated annual leave. 4. Find out about your entitlement to maternity or paternity leave. 5. Value every hour of the day – make sure that you use them effectively. 6. Take full advantage of your available leisure time. 7. Schedule regular hour-long thinking sessions. 8. Set aside one hour every week to tidy your workplace. 9. Evaluate your real priorities and focus your attention on them so that you are able to give your best. 10. Decide whether it is necessary for you to do a task personally or if it is possible to delegate it. 11. Have the courage to make changes in your work and your life. 12. Be proactive and work to make things happen. 13. Take responsibility for the changes you want to happen. 14. Ask yourself what changes you could make to your life. 15. Ask a coach or mentor to help you deal with a change you want to make. 16. See that small change make a big difference. 17. Challenge every obstacle that you encounter. 18. Be a good example to your colleagues and team members. 19. Make sure team members respect each other. 20. Tell your team what you expect from them. 21. Monitor the motivational level of your team. 22. Teach others what you want to practice yourself. 23. Encourage team members to leave the office on time. 24. Rest when your energy is low that you recharge.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 16:44:25 +0000
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