Having the Wrong Work Life Balance

Posted on October 24th, 2008 | by Dee |

Image by 5348 Franco via Flickr

Did you know that over 60% of managers fail to take their full holiday entitlement? That means that they carry on working in the office or wherever when they could be taking a break with their family or kids.

Why should this be? Their companies have granted them annual holiday entitlement and yet the managers fail to make best use of it. Could it be that the pressure of work is such that they do not find the time to take breaks? Do they fear that by taking a break the workload will increase upon their return? Is it somehow seen as a sign of weakness or disloyalty to take breaks from work?

To compound the problem further, even when they do take a break, many take their work with them. Around 40% check their emails while they are away and two thirds will respond to requests from their boss while away. What makes a boss feel he has the right to disturb his managers while they are on holiday? Why do these people feel such a need to stay in touch while away?

How much unpaid overtime do you contribute to your work? Billions of pounds or dollars in unpaid overtime are contributed by staff every year. This is time that could be spent with family or on yourself, so why do so many people do it? Is it seen as a sign of loyalty? Is it a sign that you are working for the company rather than just the pay?

All this extra time and money that staff contribute is done toward achieving the goal of the boss or the company, rather than the goal of the individual. Nobody is saying that contributing toward the company’s goal is wrong but what about your own goals? Why neglect your own goals in favor of those of the company or the boss?

Part of the problem is that the individual is often not aware of what their goals are. That is where coaching can often help. Each person has their own personal core values, although they may well never have realised this. It is by recognizing your core values that a person can start to understand what is important to them and then start to formulate their own personal goals.

Having your own personal goals does not mean that you are in conflict with a company’s or the boss’s goals. You can still give your time and skills toward helping to meet these. By having your own personal goals, however, you start to recognize the importance of devoting time, skills and money toward them as well. This is the very essence of work life balance.