The long hours culture is becoming an accepted part of working life; so how do you know if you’re clocking up hours beyond the norm? Emman Ranson Bellamy offers a quick test to unlock the truth.

A work/life study conducted by Management Today reveals that almost half of British managers feel too mentally and physically exhausted to do anything other than work and sleep while nearly a third say their lives are out of control.

Many people feel that work/life balance is a personal issue, however, more and more organisations are waking up to the fact that a balanced individual will have a positive effect on their working environment, will become more productive and have less time off sick and more time for, ‘firing on all cylinders’.

It makes sense that the more an organisation encourages a culture of balance between an individuals work and home life the quicker they will reap the benefits of greater productivity, reduced sickness, higher retention levels and creativity. The workforce will in turn have happier more balanced lives which can only be good news for families and children.

How can you spot if your work/life balance is out of kilter?

• You are feeling out of control, your life rules you rather than the other way around.




• You feel that there are not enough hours in the day, no matter what time you start and what time you finish.




• Whilst at home you worry about work and at work you worry about home.




• You begin every day as exhausted as you left it.




• You feel frightened by making long term plans or commitments.




• You only deal with things as they become critical.




• You always seem to have deadlines which are urgent.




• You are constantly fire-fighting.

How can you spot if your organisation’s work/life balance is out of kilter?

• Your staff feel they have to start early and finish late to keep up with specific individuals.




• There is too much reliance on one or two key individuals.




• There is a high rate of relationship breakdown and/or internal company relationships.




• Under-performance is the norm.




• Employees look tired and exhausted.




• There is a high illness rate and stress related problems.




• You have a high turnover of staff.




• Targets are rarely met.




• There is no understanding of the company vision.

If you answer yes to any of these questions you may need to address ways to improve your work/life balance.

Patricia Hewitt, former Secretary of State for Trade & Industry, talking about the issue, commented: “Stressed workers cannot perform to their maximum and employers know that this can damage commercial success. That is why it is down to employers and employees to work together to find sensible work/life balance solutions, which will result in better results, higher productivity and increased commitment.”

Gordon Brown is clearly making work/life balance a priority as he moves from Chancellor to Premier. If you google: ‘Gordon Brown, work life balance’ there are hundreds of speeches and spin made to various councils and unions over the last decade. His wife is even getting in on the act with her involvement with a work/life balance website.

Coaching is an effective way, of reaching a work/life balance Nirvana. The basic principal of coaching is that the coachee has the answers to all their own questions. Everyone is different. One persons stress is anothers adrenalin fix, one woman’s baby-work conundrum is another’s no-brainer. People have to work through their own challenges in their own way. Companies that facilitate this learning will, therefore, benefit.

Over the next few weeks I will look at work/life balance from a coaching perspective. I will provide you with thought provoking insight into ways to reach your work/life balance goals either from a personal or corporate perspective. This will culminate in a work/life balance course which you can use for your self and your employees.

To start the ‘ball rolling’ you may like to consider this question: “If your job were your partner what would you have said by now? What would you be holding back?”

“In the absence of clearly defined goals we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it”. (Robert Heinlein 1907-1988.)

Emma can be contacted at emma@emmaransonbellamy.co.uk to see her website visit: www.emmaransonbellamy.co.uk

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