Life at Work
by Jennifer McAlpine
Career Link LMI Specialist
Work is not just an eight-hour disturbance in our day. Many of us will spend most of our adult lives and the majority of our waking hours focused on our jobs. Whether we like it or not, some say we are defined by the choices we make at work. How we behave during that time is often the most documented record of who we are, what we stand for, and what we accept as truth.
Over the past decade, some companies have recognized their employees’ needs are changing; the conflict of a work/life balance becoming ever increasingly obvious. What’s that, you say?
Are they paying more for fewer hours? Well some companies are. If you take a look at the list of 50 Best Employers in Canada for 2009, you will see a group that has attempted to overcome workplace challenges - and have succeeded, according to their employees.
These workplaces have set in motion a shift in the standard that goes beyond a “comprehensive benefit package:” more focus on team development; creating opportunities for growth; and even working from home. One might say that these employers have bent an ear to their employees’ cries for equilibrium. But try as they might, there is one constant that still remains: the pressure - the drive for ever-higher productivity will not go away. What needs to change (which we have control over) are the choices we make.
The personal values we choose to follow instead of the constant pressure to produce more than we’re capable of. Visualize having a casual yet profound conversation with your loved ones. You’re sharing how you’ve figured out what really matters and what doesn’t. You speak with absolute sincerity: “This is my life’s work and what I want to be remembered for. This is what I stood for, believed in, struggled with and accomplished.”
What would you tell your children or grandkids or dearest friends about what really matters at work if they asked: “How do I know I’m making a difference? ” Would you tell them everything, including the nave mistakes, just to help them choose between what did and didn’t matter? As both workers and employers - we need to be more aware of the little choices we make everyday that lead us away from, or toward, what really matters.
