Work Life Balance, and Why Managers Should Care

After some technical difficulties and a nice long vacation with my family, I'm back to blogging.

The vacation was great, and a real recharger. I went away for several weeks with my family and had a great time. I also took a laptop with me and logged in most days.

Most people are probably thinking that I'm a workaholic, and wonder just how unhappy my family was. The truth is, they were content. Why? Because they knew that I could not have taken such a long vacation had I not offered to do this. Of course, it helped that I did not spend that much time logged in, and I timed it to avoid interfering with our activities. It wasn't a lot of time, but it meant that some important projects didn't get stalled. And, for me personally, it also meant that I came back to a (virtual) desk with only a reasonable amount of stuff to get through, and no emergencies or past due deadlines. So, the relaxation and recharging I did didn't get dissipated the first day back on the job.

In short, it was a win all around.

Here is the thing we need to remember as we ask staff to work smarter and harder, to extend themselves and take up the slack for staff and other budget cuts: Your staff are human being with complex needs, and no matter how dedicated they may be to the cause, the office is not their entire life. Ignore this fact, and you run into trouble. Morale will sink, people will get burnt out, and even your most devoted staff will develop a habit of doing doing just what is required. It's generally not deliberate - people simply get burnt out and their effectiveness is lowered.