Is your work - life balance grinding you down A personal story from FlexCoach Shannon Young

Is your work - life balance grinding you down A personal story from FlexCoach Shannon Young One way employees search for work/life balance is through flexible working arrangements “Work/life balance is so important to Australians that they would willingly trade it over money, holidays and development opportunities offered by any prospective or current employer.” Aaron McEwan, HR advisory leader, CEB. The goal of flexible working arrangements is to help employees balance the changing demands of work and personal life and thus positively contribute to improved performance and productivity. However, for highly engaged employees, managing the tension between work and home with flexible working arrangements can become a double-edged sword for burnout if it is not managed effectively. Flexible working conditions can hide the extent of factors contributing to burnout, such as exhaustion or fatigue, from employers who, unintentionally, encourage this behaviour in their most engaged employees. I worked for an employer of choice and was fully empowered to do my job. I could work from home when necessary with little supervision because I always delivered results. I loved my workplace and I loved what I did.   I enjoyed it and I was fully engaged and committed. I also loved being a mum and of course my family. I had flexible working down pat. Or so I thought. I was sitting outside the doctor’s office having just finished a breathing treatment to get my lungs working properly and was on the phone to work. The conversation went something like this National Sales Manager: “Don’t worry about it. Get better and finish it when you come in.” Me: “ No no, I am ok. (cough, cough) I will email the presentation to you today from home.” I went home and worked on the presentation. Then I picked up the kids did the nighttime routine and finally finished the presentation in the wee hours and sent it to work.  This was a pattern that I developed to manage the intrinsic desire to do my best at work AND at home. I burned myself out mentally, emotionally and physically. I fell onto that double-edged sword of flexible working. Why? Because I didn’t manage my most valuable asset myself. Now I take medication every day to manage my lungs a constant reminder of the hidden dangers of flexible working. What can you do? Being engaged with your work means you give that discretionary effort to get the job done. Highly engaged employees are even more likely to give that discretionary effort and more, by diving into their work without taking steps to ensure a healthy work-life balance. Flexible working conditions can unintentionally enable this downward spiral and work against the original goal helping employees balance the changing demands of work and personal life. I learned that the key to my own well-being and thus to sustainably deliver results was to be realistic  with  my goals so I can deliver without overcommitting myself; set boundaries so I can be present in both places: work and home; and practice self-care to maintain my energy. Companies can also protect their highly engaged employees who work flexibly by building trust and having open conversations. Conversations that enable both parties to manage workloads and expectations favourably. Now when I work flexibly, I am more self-aware to know when I am overextending myself and overcommitting. I can ensure the sustainability of my wellbeing and my career.   Conversations in my workplace are more open so managers are aware of my discretionary effort to understand my capacity and capability. Its about both parties being able to manage expectations for high performance. Use your flexible working arrangements, as a highly engaged employee to improve, not destroy, your greatest asset YOURSELF! In doing so, you can achieve the work-life balance you desire for yourself, your family and your career. ABOUT SHANNON Shannon  coaches working mothers to bring more of their authentic self and align with their purpose to uplevel their performance so they can smash their results and then switch off at home to be present for their loved ones â€" happy in the knowledge that they are fulfilling their potential at work and at home. What this means for organisations is that they don’t lose those driven, intelligent and ambitious women previously identified as “talent” to the mommy track or other businesses including self-employed after investing so much time, effort and money into their succession planning. Women do want to work and have a career with purpose yet more than 70% go back to work only for the paycheck (according to EY research) so organisations must reconnect and re-engage these women to thrive in their organisations to gain a positive ROI. What this means for the individual is that they re-engage with their passion that drives them at home and at work. They learn to balance the two and intertwine them with a particular set of skills to be successful in both arenas. They rediscover themselves, their goals and their passion to have it all with a clear conscience. With working mothers achieving more and being more balanced, we can improve the lives of children â€" future generations, everywhere. Discover more about Shannon’s business  here. FlexCareers offers a FREE 30-minute introductory meeting with our  FlexCoaches, to help you establish if coaching is right for you. You can contact Shannon through FlexCareers  here.

5 Ways to Jumpstart Your Career in the New Year

5 Ways to Jumpstart Your Career in the New Year It's another year. This is when everyone considers where they are a major part of their life and profession, which implies an amazingly high level of American specialists will choose to search for a new position this month. Butmaybe we don't should be so rushed. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-promotion 1467144145037-0'); }); It could be that your activity isn't the issue, there are only a couple of more things you could be doing to assist your advancement in your profession. Attempt these five things before rolling out any exceptional improvements. Who knows, you may understand you're more joyful than you suspected right where you are.1. Have espresso with your bossRather than hang tight for a yearly examination, discover time to snatch a snappy and easygoing mug of espresso with your administrator or manager, or even the huge chiefâ€"if fittingâ€"every once in a while. You'll communicate your insight to create and succeed, and show signs of improvement fe eling of what you could be doing to improve and develop. Besides you'll be on the radar as somebody sharp and hungry to climb the stepping stool, which no uncertainty will be recollected come audit time.2. Remain in the familyMost organizations want to advance from inside. So why not watch out for positions up the stepping stool, or even in various divisions, that may be reasonable for you? In case you're not feeling tested or remunerated enough, you can generally move toward your chief or HR rep about opportunities for moving inside the organization to an all the more commonly gainful position.3. Approach about trainingMost organizations have programs for preparing their workers in new abilities and programming. On the off chance that your present place of employment isn't giving you sufficient space to create, why not ask your chief or administrator if there are any preparation open doors they could consider you for? It's a success win circumstance for you both. They show signs of improvement prepared, increasingly qualified worker; you get free instruction that will serve you all through your entire career.4. Get mentoredDon't simply suck up to your chief. Discover somebody in the organization whom you appreciate and inquire as to whether they may guide you. They'll most likely be complimented, and you'll learn significant things that can assist you with developing expertly, or even surrender you a lift to the following crosspiece of the ladder.5. Remain positiveSuccess sires achievement. On the off chance that you need more acknowledgment for the great work you are doing, consider seeing the great work of your collaborators and saluting them on a vocation all around done. In any event, you'll construct a positive, achievement prompting workplace. Best case scenario, they will give back in kind. Everyone wins.

International Womens Day 2018

Universal Womens Day 2018 Worldwide Women's Day is a worldwide day commending the social, monetary, social and political accomplishments of ladies. We're utilizing this day to praise ladies in tech who've made incredible steps to vanquish sexual orientation equality and fashion innovation that is changed the manner in which we live our lives today. bit.ly/2Hju8k1 Perhaps the greatest test in practically all enterprises today is accomplishing sexual orientation equality. Sex decent variety gives immense advantages in the work environment. pWhile a few businesses have made noteworthy headways in sex decent variety, a few enterprises linger further behind... what's more, the development business is notable for being in the last class. On the off chance that somebody says, development laborers, youll likely picture a gathering of men dressed in yellow hard caps dissecting a draftsmen plans or laying blocks on a framework. Furthermore, men at work signs just assistance to fortify this picture. pThis generalization is established in all actuality. When was the last time you really recognized a lady on a building site? Or then again recruited a female handyman or woodworker? Your answer is probably never. Truth be told, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that lone 3.4% of the aggregate of 8.3 million development representatives are ladies. pBut the development business has much more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard caps, and it needs ladies to help advance the business in this period of quick change. Here are 5 reasons why ladies joining the workforce or hoping to make a turn ought to consider a vocation in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot just is decent variety the socially and ethically right activity, yet it is additionally really a superb business procedure. pResearch introduced in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that various groups grow progressively imaginative thoughts. This is additionally upheld by an examination directed by Gallupon the presentation of sexual orientation assorted groups versus single-sex groups, which found that the distinction in foundations and viewpoints prompted better business execution and critical thinking. h22. Benefit from Demand/h2pThe development industry is at present encountering a work lack. The business itself is blasting and anticipated to be one of the quickest developing enterprises, with complete spending anticipated to surpass $1.45 trillion out of 2023/a. Be that as it may, most development organizations can't fulfill the rising need. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/an, over 80% of temporary workers are encountering troubles filling hourly art places that speak to the main part of the development workforce.pAnd request isnt restricted to singular supporter jobs. Given the business blast, there are various open steady and lucrative jobs (any task directors out there?) sitting tight for the privilege candidate!h23. Initiative Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, ladies make just 7.7% out of the complete 1 million administrative situations in construction.br/ pBut given the profoundly synergistic nature of development work, more ladies in influential positions would help drive advancement and upgrade productivity.Furthermore, as a lady in development in an administration position, youd have the exceptional chance to drive change for the business and make it a progressively appealing choice for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for some talented situations in development are on the ascent, settling on a development profession a prime decision for ladies searching for a lucrative employment, pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research uncovered that pay rates for some gifted art territories are expanding. Undertaking chiefs and task directors beat the rundown at $92,523 and $88,355, individually. The following arrangement of most lucrative employments incorporate those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation specialists ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line laborers ($68,262) and mechanical circuit testers ($67,269). Of the 32 classifications of laborers in the overview, 19 positions earned a normal pay of $60,000 or higher.h25. Feeling of achievement/h2p The development business can give representatives an extraordinary feeling of accomplishment. Truly, the activity is upsetting and the work can be requesting, yet nothing beats the sentiment of having the option to manufacture something starting from the earliest stage. pHow numerous experts in different businesses can point at a school, an emergency clinic, or a high rise and state I helped assemble that? pThe development industry has far to go in fighting sexual orientation predisposition and supporting ladies in the workforce, yet given the present interest for laborers, theres no better an ideal opportunity to get a heavy hammer (metaphorical or strict) and crush the sex generalizations tormenting the development business.

Employee Productivity

Employee Productivity In a surveyfound in Trans-Logic Executive Search Groups May Issue,100 senior executives were asked, In your opinion, on which day of the week are employees generally most productive? If their opinions are correct,everyone might as well take Friday off as it was listed as the least productive at 2%! Thursday was close at 3% andMonday and Wednesday were at 18% and 19% respectively. Be sure you show up for work on Tuesdays or the company you work for could be in dire straights asTuesday was voted the most productive day at 53%! In a study on employee health andproductivity produced by Ipsos-Reid on behalf of FGIworld,CEOs and working Canadians were asked to identify from a list of workplace factors which ones they believe are positively impacting productivity in their organization. Results listing CEOs and working Canadians respectively are as follows: Effective training programs 79% and 73% Management practices 69% and 64% Appropriate employee assistance programs to help manage worker stress, burn out, or other physical and mental issues 60% and 60% The design of worker pay structures and incentives 57% and 58% The top issuenegativelyaffecting productivity was stress, burn out or other physical and mental health issues, according to 66% of CEOs and 71% of working Canadians. Study after study hasprovided consistent resultsshowing employeesgeneral well being/mental health is the real key to productivity and motivation.Employeescontinue to rate general well beingand mental health as a more importantissue thanmoney.