Work Life Balance WLB Shushma Manandhar 1 Balance

Work Life Balance (WLB) Shushma Manandhar 1

Balance between work and home n Family and business balance n Work life balance, whatever we name it, it is all about, n n Balancing professional and personal life 2

n n Work-family demands/conflict Balancing work-family life Work family interface (conflict and enrichment) Tips for better WLB 3

We used to live in joint family. Our traditional Society had defined different roles for male and females. 4

Most of the women did household things 5

Men did complicated and physical works 6

Scenarios have changed now. Expanded work area- ( Kathmandu - out of valley ) n Multi job- taking many jobs at a time ( School, Service, Social work) n Long working hours ( 13, 14 hours a day) n Converting into nuclear family (Husband, wife and child) n Women’s Dual career (Employee and housewife)- for self development and better home n 7

When females start to work outside, misunderstandings occur. It creates stress. Stress is directly linked with person’s health, performance and relationship with others. Conflict arises. - Role, Responsibility, accountability, Jealousy, Blame game 8

Who have more stress, have more chances to have diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders. 9

Warning signs of job stress Headache, lost of appetite Sleep disturbances Difficulty in concentration Short temper, irritations Poor health Job dissatisfaction Low moral, Increased absenteeism, lateness Thinking of quitting the job 10

Stress Impact Statistics n Source: American Psychological Association, American Institute of Stress, NY nstress has a negative impact on their personal and professional life - 48 % nthey have nstress has 31 % 54 % difficulty managing work and family responsibilities. caused them to fight with people close to them- nbeing alienated from a friend or family member because of stress- 26 % nthey are "always" or "often" under stress at work- 30 % 11

Work Life Balance is related to: n Life events n Work efficiency n Managing self, stress, time and relationship

n Whatever we have in lists, n there is no doubt that we ultimately want peace and happiness. 14

Happiness "Never search for happiness in others, it will make you feel alone. Search it in yourself, you will feel happy even when you are left alone. " 15

To understand the deep meaning of life, one needs maturity 16

n work n n self/spirit health n n family friends -Bryan Dyson, former CEO of Coca-Cola

n What do we understand by Work -Life Balance ? n How can we differentiate between work and life ?

What are professional and personal life ? n bo boss colleagues, senior and juniors norms, rules and regulations procedures limited working hour paid job love, affections hobby, spirituality Leisure, vacation Unlimited working hour unpaid job 19

Perceptions of WLB n n n Ari Horie, founder and CEO of Women’s Startup Lab Horie, who was recently named one of CNN’s most visionary women. “I recommend people to consider ‘work-life design’ because it gives you a healthier perspective. ” 20

Perceptions of WLB n n Natalie Madeira Cofield, CEO of Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce and the founder of Walker’s Legacy “work-life balance is, For me, it’s how I create space and time for myself and for the people I care about it in my life. ” 21

Perceptions of WLB n n NICK TARANTO, COFOUNDER OF PLATED. COM “Work-life balance means making decisions around where, who, and what you’re going to sacrifice, because you can’t do it all. ” 22

WLB knowing what our priorities are, and what really matters to us. n n An art of achieving optimum satisfaction from life , by managing self, others, stress and time.

n n we often complain about not having proper time In fact it’s not about the lack of time, it is the priority that we give them.

Pictures of our Life, where we have "many roles“ as an employee and individual

We have many challenges at office, in our profession

Responsibilities, culture and hobbies in personal life

Can we do justice to our many roles ? 28

Can we do justice to our many roles ? 29

. . . . at what cost?

In society, we have different Roles and Responsibilities parent Special Identity grand parent individual employee children social worker conflict occurs when we are unable to give our "many roles" required times and energy

n To mitigate the conflict, it is crucial to prioritise and strike a balance between work, home and interest.

Does balancing work and family life mean dividing time for them equally 50/50 ? or 40/60 ? or 70/30 ? It is more likely to giving more priority to any one of them, whether work or home.

Right Balance varies from time to time n -today/tomorrow n -single/married/unmarried n because of different priorities at different times n right balance reduces stress n

Home, where the heart is. Work place, next home to workers/employees If we can not cope between two important components of life. . .

they could be both a big stressors Home would be "hell" & workplace would be a "war place"

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The stressors Work Vs Home n What makes us stressed at work ? n. What makes us stressed at home ?

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Work vs Home having to do things you are not interested in too many responsibilities/ too few resources misunderstanding/ miscommunication lack of cooperation/ support attitude issues/ lack of respect partiality/ favouritism lack of knowledge & skills office policy/ social rules time pressure lack of love/ appreciation/ recognition

Lack of boundaries is also a big stressor n n Q: Can you remember a time when you were not able to say 'No', but in retrospect, should have? What causes this inability?

Reasons for inability n n n Respect to senior Fear Not wanting to spoil the relation To get recognition Taking it as challenge To bargain later for benefits 42

Is our life in balance?

n Why do Organisations need work-life balance ? 44

Individual n n n -happy person -positive thinking -improve health -better relationships -motivated Organization n n n -reduce absenteeism -reduce turn over -more creativeness and team works -increase productivity and job satisfaction -reduce stress levels -improve morale 45

A case n n H o p e M o r a l 46

n n According to the OECD’s Better Life Index, Denmark has the best work-life balance of the 20 OECD countries studied. Most employees in Denmark don't work long hours, and government policies support families with young children, allowing people to balance their work and home life. 47

n n n According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Better Life Index, Denmark has the best work-life balance of the 20 OECD countries studied. Most employees in Denmark don't work long hours, Only 2% of people in full-time employment work very long hours, whereas 39% in Turkey. Government policies support families with young children, allowing people to balance their work and home life. 48

What are your suggestions n To effectively balance work and life 49

Don't try to balance work and life. Integrate the two. n n “The research, published in the journal Human Relations, studied over 600 employees… Keeping work and home life separate could actually be making you more stressed. Instead, integrating the two is the best strategy to strike the right balance. ” 50

n Though there are no silver bullet solutions, n n What can we do to have a better-work life balance? What can the Employer/ Organization do to help the employee with WLB? 51

On a personal Level: n n n Objectively Analyze n Am I spending too much time/ effort/ money on something? n What are my boundaries? n Can I assert myself where needed? Look into big picture that can help you to see the root cause. Personal Growth n How can I build better self-esteem? How can I nurture myself more? 52

Everything moves in a cycle n Vicious Circle vs. Positive circle How can I break vicious circles? n How can I put myself into positive circles? n 53

To reduce stress 54

Understand what really matters Be clear about your needs and Value it 55

Be Generous to self n Health is wealth. n (as long as your health is with you, the world goes along with you…) n Create some special time to relax to minimize stress 56

Know the limit No one is perfect. No one can do everything. n If you can, compete. If not, compromise. n Be happy with what you have today. n 57

Set boundaries and learn to say no. n n "Being a YES MAN doesn't mean blindly fulfilling everyone's demands Learn to say assertively no, if there is too much in your plate. Saying no to one thing opens the door to saying yes to something else” 58

Share your feelings n n Worry, but only to the point it helps. Make friends. Share your feelings with them. They could have the solution for your problems. 59

Be positive Manage your emotions, try to be indifferent in every ups and down n Do things that you enjoy. n yoga, praying, spirituality n Read books, go to cinema, Visit places, fun activities, call friends. n 60

Manage your Emotions n Let things go and forget what you couldn't do. n Don't worry about the things you can not control. n Learn from your mistakes. 61

To improve relationships 62

Value the people you care Show your love and affection n Do not hurt or betray by words and behaviour n n n Take care of senior members at home. Make rapport with good communication and build better interpersonal relation 63

Helping hands n share the load- divide the task at home, work in team at organization, don't let come ego in between n ask for and be ready to help. n 64

Trust and Delegate n n Trust others too and let them work on their own. Delegate works (don't get fish for them, teach them how to fish) 65

Managing Time 66

Be Organized n n n Plan to work and work on plan. Set small, manageable and achievable goals Prioritize your work. 67

Know your weakness and strength Plan and Prepare. Update yourself with knowledge & skill 68

Plan, but do not run your life on a time table. 69

Understand, time is money n n Use a work diary, Send yourself reminders Check lists, set dead lines n don't procrastinate n n Try to identify your time wasters and avoid it. (social medias, gossiping) 70

Keep correcting In regular basis try to correct as per need and make work and family life balanced. 71

From the Organization's Side n Time n Working hours n Maternity/paternity leave n Force leaves n Alternate leave n Flexi time, flexi place, part time job 72

n Facility and resources n Baby care centre n facility to work with spouse n Telecommuting n Job rotate, job sharing n Free counseling n Sponsor family events/picnic 73

Thank you. The happier you are, the better you can perform. sumisayemi@gmail. com 74