Work-Life Balance

When and where you work is a really important consideration to make when evaluating a job opportunity or career path.

Rightfully so, the issue of work-life balance has become a massive topic in corporate dialogue. It's difficult to fully define where a job's boundaries begin and end–and, left unchecked, a job with a lot of responsibility can spill into your life and cause you to become overwhelmed.

First, you must set your own boundaries.

Consider your lifestyle.
Consider your skills.
Consider your field.
Consider your other responsibilities.
Consider any unique factors about your working situation.

Before you can really conduct a "fit-test" for a job opportunity's work-life balance, you need to know what you are looking for. If necessary, set some rules for yourself such as "no emails after 5pm" or "no phone calls on my personal phone," and use them as a bar to eliminate positions that you feel will overstep those boundaries. This will, necessarily, look different for everyone.

Second, ensure the apparent work-life balance is an appropriate match for the position. 

If a job description pays just over minimum wage and offers limited benefits, the employer's expectations should mirror this. Be wary of opportunities that seem to be misaligned in terms of compensation and job expectations–you could end up at the disadvantage of being underpaid and/or overworked.

Forbes shared an article about how work-life balance should be replaced with work-life alignment, which encompasses an overall compatibility between you and your job. The author writes, "If your current role or company doesn’t serve you, then you may need to explore more significant changes to find the alignment you want–perhaps a different position within the same organization. It may take a role in a different organization to find it. We're seeing more and more people striking out on their own as entrepreneurs and using that experience as a catalyst for creating the lifestyle they want."

Finally, hold your employer accountable for their expectations for you.

Even the most well-meaning boss can unintentionally assign tasks or responsibilities that are outside of your working agreement or job description. If you find yourself in a position where you are expected to do something that is not a part of your understood role, it's important to address it as soon as possible (respectfully, of course). If you wait, the conversation will become more and more difficult as time goes on, and you will inadvertently communicate that you have no problem with these changes. Stick up for yourself and maintain a standard of open communication!

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Everyone is cut out for different jobs. What works well for one person may be a poor fit for you... and that's okay! Know yourself, evaluate each opportunity carefully, and keep your work-life balance in check!

I'll be back next week with another installment in the interview series!

- JS