‘The Career’ Versus ‘The Job’
“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” ~ C. Northcote Parkinson ~
Before you decide to tell your boss that you simply must have more time off to spend
with the family, you’ll need to consider a few things.
First, most large companies now support balanced life plans – in other words, they
recognize the need for their employees to take vacations, take time off to go to the
doctor with a sick child, and get home for dinner at a reasonable hour.
But, in some companies, that commitment is lip service only. In other words, what the
human resource policies say is one thing. The reality is quite something else.
In smaller companies, all bets are off!
Some companies are so small that they are not subject to government regulations
regarding hours but it is important for you to understand that in today’s world, no
company in the U.S. can abuse an employee by working them 24 hours a day.
Remember, there are labor laws to protect you.
The first thing you need to do is to understand your rights. If you live in a country other
than the U.S., you will have to look at the labor laws there to determine what you can
expect when you go to talk to your boss. Remember, the better prepared you are, the better chance you will have at getting what you need. If your boss does not know the law, you’ll need to be prepared to educate her.
Before you begin to execute your plan to balance your life, you’ll want to think carefully about your job, and your career goals. You’ll find some thought-provoking considerations below.
Think carefully about each of these things, and add your own considerations to the list,
if you have some that are specific to your own job.
If you really want balance and change in your life, you have to plan for it and then
carefully execute the plan with dedication and persistence. Here are some things to consider:
- Are you a member of a union? If so, there are rules regarding your work hours and these must be enforced. You can talk to a union steward to get help with this.
- Do you have a contract that requires you to work certain hours? If you do, you may have to change jobs to get the balance you want in your life.
- If you are in a position that is critical to the company – in other words, no one else can do what you do – then you may out of luck when it comes to getting reduced hours.
- Are you making a ridiculous amount of money in your job? If you are, your hours
are probably not negotiable. The company you work for certainly expects you to earn the money they pay you and the generous compensation is meant to reward you for the hours and stress.
Again, you may have to change jobs and, at the same time, change your salary expectation.
- Does everyone in your company and/or department work crazy hours? There are some jobs – like technical support in a company with critical data stored on servers, or networks – where you will not have the option to negotiate your departure time on certain days.
