A generational catch phrase if there ever was one, the "work-life balance" is currently discussed at length in books, articles, seminars, universities, and even in company policies themselves.
Men and women alike are beginning to recognize the importance of creating a "work-life balance," but appreciating the concept and implementing it on a daily basis are two very different things, especially if you are pursuing a traditional corporate or professional career which requires you to be away from home for 8+ hours a day.
Consider these words from former General Electric Co. Chief Executive Jack Welch in a recent Wall Street Journal article:
Welsh has some blunt words for women climbing the corporate ladder: you may have to choose between taking time off to raise children and reaching the corner office.
"There's no such thing as work-life balance," Mr. Welch told the Society for Human Resource Management's annual conference in New Orleans on June 28. "There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences."
Mr. Welch said those who take time off for family could be passed over for promotions if "you're not there in the clutch."
First of all, we should recognize that Welsh's comments apply to both men and women - she OR he who chooses family over work on a regular basis is not likely to be the one promoted fastest or farthest.
The hard truth of the matter is that you CANNOT be a model employee and a model parent at the same time. You can't be fully present and dedicated and engaged to your job AND to your kids at the same time. You can't plan appropriately and put in enough time and dedicate your best energy to your job AND to your kids at the same time.
5 comments:
It must also be noted that a good work ethic can profoundly impression children. I'm the child of a family business, and while my father worked more than most, I definitely appreciate his dedication to the business and the work ethic that was instilled in me at a young age. I'm 23 now, and joined the business 6 years ago while still in high school. I've pursued a full time college education at the same time, and because of the work ethic, I'm far ahead of most of my peers.
""There's no such thing as work-life balance"
I believe you can have both just not all at the same time
I totally agree that choices drive results - but Welch's comment doesn't specifically talk to any employee who makes choices, just women who aren't there in the clutch. I'm going to give him some credit, as GM under his tenure did have a fair number of female execs, but the truth is that many companies still have glass ceilings - in part because those companies are made of individual managers and execs who can be human in their decision processes. A woman is expected to sacrafice work commitments for her family - and castigated for it/passed over for promotion. A man needing to do the same? Get's lauded as the 'modern father' and since it may not happen as frequently, allowances are made.
There is such a thing as a work-life balance-- it means sacrificing a little of your career to have a family and sacrificing a little of your family to have a career.
You can't reach the top of the corporate food chain AND be the perfect mother. It's just not going to happen. The balance is figuring out how much of one side of the scale you're going to give up in order to have a little more on the other. That's balance.
Men have to deal with it to, although the corporate world is more likely to let them make the choice for themselves rather than simply assuming they're going to spend a lot of time with their families and possibly deny promotions because of it.
If a father or mother of a young child has a full-time job, he or she will be away from their child for at least 8 hours each day of the work week. Of course, this isn't much of a balance, but it is not possible to be a full-time parent and work full-time. Not without a clone!
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