Work Life Balance

A friend of my father's started a new job recently. He is a few years older than me, married and has two young kids. I asked my dad how it's been going so far and he told me well, except for his boss. He didn’t say the boss is a jerk, but he did say the boss checks emails daily at 5:30 AM and replies before he comes to work at 7 AM. He does the same thing at night. He also expects his new employee to be online doing the same thing.

The company is paying their new hire a very fair wage and my guess is his boss had a boss before him instill the work around the clock mentality. I am not married with two young kids, but I know what it is like at my brother's house in the mornings and evenings: hectic!

We always bring high hopes and maximum energy to the start of a new job. We want to succeed. And we bust our butt to do so. But does this new relationship seem like it is going to last? I doubt it. Whose fault is it? I would say the boss.

He may have had to fight the battle of working round the clock while balancing his family. I'm sure he hated it. I think that's part of the reason he's passing it on. "I went through it, so should he." I liken it to my fraternity experience. "They hazed me, so I'm hazing you." The cycle continues until someone says, "Hey, wait a minute. This makes no sense."

And this work relationship does not make sense. As a boss, you have to step outside of your experiences and think about your employee. From 5:30 AM - 7 AM the employee is not at home snoozing away, nor is he sitting on his porch sipping coffee, he is running around getting kids fed and ready for school. And after work he is not sipping Crown and Coke's at the country club, he is putting his kids to bed and spending some time with his wife. Those are the important things. Take that ability away and you take away his energy and motivation. Around the clock work does not produce greater results, it produces greater turnover.

Now think, this guy has a new job and he wants to do well, but he is already questioning if it is the right fit. I'm sure his wife and kids aren't too happy about it either. This starts the downward spiral of resenting your boss, looking at CareerBuilder and Monster, and most importantly, quitting the job but not telling anyone. Showing up for work but not caring. Exactly what you don't want as a manager.

In today's world, there has to be balance. High expectations are fine, but they have to be realistic. You may not have been allowed to live a life outside of work, but that also means you know how much that stinks. Don't pass it on. People want to work hard and perform. Having a work life balance brings maximum effort. This breed’s creativity, innovation, and most importantly: results.