Practical Steps to a Balanced Work Life

Practical Steps to a Balanced Work-Life

Dr. Elijah EzenduFIMC, FCCM, FIIAN, FBDI, FAAFM, FSSM, MIMIS, MIAP, MITD, ACIArb, ACIPM,

PhD, DocM, MBA, CWM, CBDA, CMA, MPM, PME, CSOL, CCIP, CMC, CMgr

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, participants should be able to do the following:

• Identify the difference between personal life goals and work goals

• Identify ways to manage relationships so as to balance work and personal life

• Explain the impact of planning as a means of achieving work-life balance

• Explain the roles of flexible work arrangements in achievement of work-life balance

"The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach."

- Benjamin Mays

Defining Your Life GoalsLife goals are clear set of things an individual intends to achieve in

personal life.Focus of Life Goals:i. Familyii. Careeriii. Educationiv. Physicalv. Community Servicevi. Spiritual Growthvii.Financialviii.Attitudeix. Leisurex. Artisticxi. Friends

Defining Your Work GoalsWork goals comprise the things you intend to achieve

at workplace.

Focus of Work Goals:i. Performanceii. Work Behaviouriii.Statusiv.Incomev. Relevance vi.Career Developmentvii.Competence

List Your Tasks

• Steps required to achieve the goals.• Prioritize.• Set deadlines.• List resources needed.• Ensure effectiveness of operational system.• Review.

Obtaining Success

Objective Success: This represents visible and measurable type of success such as purchase of house, high salary, placement at high echelon, ownership of vehicles.

Subjective Success: This refers to inner feeling of success due to derived satisfaction with activities. Example a woman who earns a low salary as a teacher, yet she feels very successful because of sense of fulfillment in the job.

Conflicting Personal and Work Goals

It is not uncommon for your personal life and work goals to conflict.

For example, you need to be home by 6 pm every night so your spouse can go to work, but your job requires staying late for meetings. Your goal is to promote and one of the requirements is to attend these meetings. You need to decide if you can:

• Find a solution to attain your goal, or • Change your goal to a more attainable one given

your situation Source: Debbie LaCroix

Techniques for Improving Balance

• Get rid of distasteful activities• Envision your future• Reduce your clutter• Limit distracting activities• Engage in a meaningful project• Plan your time

Source: Masterful Mentoring

Work Life Assessment 1Work:List the greatest benefits you obtain from your job, and rank the

value you derive therein (1= lowest value, 10=highest value)1. …………………………………………… 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 102. …………………………………………… 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 103. …………………………………………… 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Rank the level of your satisfaction in your job• Not satisfied• Averagely satisfied• Mostly Satisfied• Totally satisfied

Work Life Assessment 2Personal Life:List the greatest benefits you obtain from your personal life, and

rank the value you derive therein (1= lowest value, 10=highest value)

1. …………………………………………… 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 102. …………………………………………… 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 103. …………………………………………… 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Rank the level of your satisfaction in your personal life• Not satisfied• Averagely satisfied• Mostly Satisfied• Totally satisfied

Work Life Assessment 3

Ascertain which aspect is infringing on the other, and identify the measures that must be put into action to achieve balance.

Balancing work and personal life does not necessarily mean ensuring equal amount of time is spent on both sides; it involves attaining satisfaction at work and in personal life without attaching oneself to an avalanche of menacing stress.

Balancing Work-Life At the Office

Gaining Management Endorsement

There’s need for the Human Resource Department to ensure that every member of the top management understands the impact of implementation of work life balance on both employees and the organisation.

Conducting Needs Analysis

• Identify business requirements and the feasible flexible options

• Identify the flexible options that would aid employees in achieving work-life balance

• Discover the common favourable options for both business requirements and employees

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Resolving the opportunity cost of adopting each flexible option and ascertaining the financial implication on overall cost structure, while profiling the attendant benefits.

Evaluation and Performance Assessment

Herein the focus is to review the whole programme and affix unambiguous score to each operation and its actual impact with the aim of distilling the most effective programmes and refining the weak ones.

Managing Relationships

Using Your Calendar• Add a meeting as soon as you know about it.• Write dates for follow-up on calendar. • Include personal deadlines.• Have one master calendar. • If you use an electronic calendar, back it up

regularly.

Eliminating things from your to-do list

• What’s the worst that can happen if I don’t do this?

• Am I the only person who can do this? • Must it be done now? • Is there an easier way to do it?

Planning

“If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you target it?”

“If you don’t know where you’re going, how would you know when you get there?”

Planning is a key for solving such problems.

How Do I Plan?

1. Build a scenario of the future.2. Align the scenario with your goals3. Ascertain the gap4. Identify the requirements for fulfillment5. Implement the plan.

• Missed deadlines.• Overlooked opportunities.• Wasted time.• Stress.• Multiple performance problems.• Poor or slow service.• Wasted money.

The Result of not being organized

An individual needs to put his focus and mind on the feasibility and operability of the established plan in order to drive a reasonable measure of commitment based on purposefulness.

Types of Flexible Work Arrangement

• Job Splitting• Work Sharing• Compressed Working• Flexi-time• Virtual Team• Eworking

What do you consider as the advantages of flexible work arrangements?

Dr. Elijah Ezendu is Award-Winning Business Expert & Certified Management Consultant with expertise in HR, OD, Competitive Intelligence, Strategy, Restructuring, Business Development, Sales & Marketing, Interim Management, CSR, Leadership, Project & Programme Management, Cost Management, Outsourcing, Franchising, Intellectual Capital, eBusiness, Social Media, Software Architecture, Cloud Computing, eLearning & International Business. He holds proprietary rights of various systems. He is currently CEO, Rubiini (UAE); Hon. President, Worldwide Independent Inventors Association; Special Advisor, RTEAN; Director, MMNA Investments Limited. He had functioned as Chair, International Board of GCC Business Council (UAE); Senior Partner, Shevach Consulting; Chairman (Certification & Training), Coordinator (Board of Fellows), Lead Assessor & Governing Council Member, Institute of Management Consultants, Nigeria; Lead Resource, Centre for Competitive Intelligence Development; Turnaround Project Director, Consolidated Business Holdings Limited; Lead Consultant/ Partner, JK Michaels; Technical Director, Gestalt; Chief Operating Officer, Rohan Group; Executive Director (Various Roles), Fortuna, Gambia & Malta; Director, The Greens; Chief Advisor/Partner, D & E; Vice Chairman, Refined Shipping; Director of Programmes & Governing Council Member, Institute of Business Development, Nigeria; Member of TDD Committee, International Association of Software Architects, USA; Member of Strategic Planning and Implementation Committee, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria; Adjunct Faculty, Regent Business School, South Africa; Adjunct Faculty, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Nigeria; Editor-in-Chief & Chairman of Editorial Board, Cost Management Journal; National Executive Council Member, Institute of Internal Auditors of Nigeria; Member, Board of Directors (Several Organizations). He holds Doctoral Degree in Management, Master of Business Administration and Fellowship of Several Professional Institutes in North America, UK & Nigeria. He is an author & widely featured speaker in workshops, conferences & retreats. He was involved in developing Specialist Master’s Degree Course Content for Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (Nigeria) and Jones International University (USA). He holds Interim Management Assignments on Boards of Companies as Non-Executive Director.

Thank You