October 10, 2009
It's National Work & Family Month. Do you know where your balance is?
NWjobs
The good folks at the Alliance for Work-Life Progress want you to know that October is National Work & Family Month. To help raise awareness for the American worker's need for better balance, Kathie Lingle, executive director of the Alliance, wrote a Huffington Post article offering seven work-life balance suggestions for workers and employers.
Among the usual pleas for flex time for working parents, improved telework plans to prevent the spread of swine flu, and ample vacation time for our overstressed workforce were a couple of atypical tips that caught my eye:
Seek the financial support you need. We've already established that financial woes are keeping a significant portion of the population awake at night. If you work for a large employer that offers financial management seminars or counseling, by all means take advantage of this resource. And if you do your banking at a credit union, there's a good chance they also offer free or low-cost financial literacy classes or counseling.
Recognize that singles need balance too. "Not all employees are married and have families," Lingle wrote on her Huffington Post blog. "Single people have lives too, so they can resent being overlooked when it comes to access to quality-of-life-enhancing support." (Thank you, Alliance for Work-Life Progress. That's music to this single gal's ears.) If you feel your singlehood has earned you second-class status at your place of employ, Lingle encourages you to speak up. "That's leadership," she says, "and it doesn't always come from the top."
Michelle Goodman is the author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide." E-mail Michelle at mgoodman@nwjobs.com
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Michelle Goodman is the author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide."
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Work/Life balance has become more an important, especially these days, when so many workers are being asked to do more with less. If you're looking for more tips on work/life balance, time-management, and personal productivity, visit the Day-Timer Blog at www.daytimer.wordpress.com.