28 January,2009 05:01 PM IST | | Soumya Mukerji
'I arise in the morning torn between the desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day', said American writer E.B. White, wording well what many of us feel today.
While everyone's congratulating you on attaining better job responsibilities and higher control, let us warn you well in time u2014 employees with high levels of job autonomy and control over their work schedules are more likely to bring work home with them, says a recent research by the University of Toronto. Workers who need to make key decisions tend to work at home or communicate with colleagues outside of normal hours many times a day, thus triggering conflict within their families. The more flexible your operations, the more you're at risk. But worry not; we get you the complete guide to deal with this necessary evil.u00a0u00a0
Men are more prone
Using a survey of more than 2,600 American workers, sociology professor Scott Schieman and Ph.D. student Paul Glavin examined the impacts of schedule control and job autonomy on work-family role blurring. Role blurring is measured by how often employees bring work home and how often they receive work-related contact outside of normal working hours.
The findings:
>> Having great schedule control - that is, having greater control over the start and finish times of work - is associated with more frequent work-family role blurring; this pattern is stronger among men;
>> Having greater job autonomy is associated with more frequent work-family role blurring among both women and men;
>> Men in autonomous jobs are more likely than women in similarly autonomous jobs to receive work-related contact outside of normal work hours;
>> Among both genders, receiving work-related contact outside of normal work hours increases work-to-family conflict
Warning bells
So, you do take work home every now and then, but feel it doesn't upset your spouse. Read these signs to know for sure:
>> If he/she is acting cold and distant, it's most likely you're behind the mood
>> Your partner always has plans with others, and the reason is "I thought you'll be busy, sou2026"
>> The kids are closer to the maidservant than you
>> You don't remember the last time you watched a film at home
>> The driver remembers PTA meetings better than you do
>> You most often miss what your mum-in-law was saying; you're mostly preoccupied with phone or thoughts
>> You've stopped caring what's for dinner
How they deal with it
We asked a few people how they avoid the work-eats-life syndrome
Rakshanda Khan, actor: Television is such a crazy place; you have to make sure you leave your work behind to unwind. Unless it's an emotionally exhausting scene, I make sure I step out of the studio with a free mind. As you grow in the industry, you know that the only way to beat stress is cut yourself off and spend time with near and dear ones when the day's work is over.
Anirudh Choudhury, scriptwriter: We work on a project basis and often don't go home for two days at a stretch, but when we do, we make sure it's all done and over. The thinking keeps going on, but not other work.
Mannika Singh, PR professional: I try to finish most of the work in office hours by avoiding frequent breaks u2014 this helps keep up the tempo and optimise time, so that I don't need to carry any burden back home.
Ramkumar Uppara, associate vice president at a communications firm: The company has given me a laptop, but I avoid taking it home. This keeps unnecessary family trouble at bay. But, my job requires me to be available on phone irrespective of day, date and time, so I can't help that, and end up being busy on holidays, too. Balance is the key; not taking work home at all is impractical is the modern day scenario.u00a0u00a0
Make up with quality time, says the expert
Jaspreet K Alagh, corporate trainer and director of management solutions firm Core Excellence, has important advice:u00a0
>> Ideally, you should not take work home, even if it means staying an hour extra to complete whatever's at hand. It'll save you of being at home and still not being there, and save your family a lot of stress.
>> Sometimes, it's not possible to escape responsibilities even at odd hours. If something has consumed your personal time, make up for it later u2014 apologise, plan a surprise, spend as much time with your folks whenever time allows, on first priority. Relationships are also key investments. Wherever your deposits are less, so are the returns.
>> Delegation of work is important. Don't be a control freak. See that you have a team of trusted, competent subordinates and give them the authority to make decisions is your absence. It will save you and good employees a lot of frustration.
>> Time management is the key. Use organisers, a to-do list, set time limits for routine work.
>> Make sure you eat, sleep and exercise well, apart from engaging yourself in mentally and spiritually uplifting activities. Good well-being will keep you in good spirits, which is a must when it comes to interacting with family and friends and going for fun outings. This also takes care of your inner desires, so that you live above the rat race.
Tested tricks
Some tips that seem to work for everyone:
>> Put your cellphone on answering machine. Listen to messages every once an hour to gauge urgency and importance, if you can't resist
>> Make yourself believe that separating yourself from is imperative for long-term work success u2014 it's true
>> Learn to say 'no'
>> Acquire the art of multitasking
>> Set a start and finish time for yourself, if your work hours are flexible. This way, you don't lose the discipline, and won't feel guilty while spending time with family or friends
>> Don't base your feelings of responsibility and achievement on problems at hand. Rather, base them on the outcomes by asking questions like 'by when do I need to close it?'(urgency), 'how much time would I need to work on it?'(duration of execution), and 'are there other tasks that need to be completed first?'(how important is the deal/client/assignment when compared to personal commitments)
Thoda adjust karo!
If you're at the receiving end and feel victimised by your partner's neverending work needs, we empathise. But that doesn't give you the license for silly self-pity. "If your spouse does it to you, it's important that you understand he/she is doing it for you and the well-being of the family, too, apart from personal ambition. You must adjust and accommodate instead of creating a fuss and causing more unpeace to your hubby/wife, who is already under tremendous pressure. If things become too much to bear, communicate and work out alternate strategies together, since it's a shared concern," says Dr Pallavi Bar Thakur, relationship expert. "Those who're striving to juggle work with personal stuff should make sure the family doesn't feel neglected and no important events and occasions are missed due to work, even if it means staying up late after everyone's gone to bed," she signs off.
