Back to School: Finding that “perfect” work/life balance!!

As we enter the new school year the nerves are most likely setting in for both parents and/or students, whether this be on your little one’s first day at school, your teenager starting at secondary school or indeed those entering their final years of school.

Any of the above can be a daunting and stressful time and as a parent you will be wanting the best for your children and this could involve a lot of juggling with work and home life balance.

Achieving a healthy work-life balance can be quite stressful for most working parents. Unfortunately, there is no simple piece of advice to help make working parents lives easier, but, if you are struggling with stress, here are some work-life balance tips you may find useful.

1. Talk to your Manager/ Employer – If your workload keeps getting bigger, it may be time to talk to your employer about the pressure you are experiencing and review your priorities together.

Before you approach your manager, prepare what you are going to say. Try coming up with a proposal that not only benefits you but your employer too. Also try to choose your moment to have the conversation – your manager may not be open to your suggestions if you ambush them on their way to an important meeting, for example.

2. Switch Off – Thanks to communications technology it is far too easy these days to be available 24/7. But if you are in a habit of checking work texts and emails after office hours or even while you are on holiday, it could be a cause of family friction. Perhaps, you could try some of the following:

• Try to set a deadline each day to switch off your work phone and stop checking emails
• Avoid taking work calls or picking up emails while you are on holiday
• Agree a short window of time when you can respond if there is something really urgent you need to deal with

3. Tune out on the journey home – If you are calm and in a good mood when you arrive home, the rest of your family will be more relaxed too. According to the charity Family Lives, children pick up on moods and will sense your unhappiness if you run in complaining about work issues. So, while you are on your way home, do something that helps put the day’s pressures behind you, such as listening to music, the radio or an audiobook. Then gradually switch your thoughts from work matters to your family, so that when you arrive home, you will have put work to rest completely.
4. Have a regular family night – Try to pick 1 evening a week when all members of your family can do something together. This doesn’t have to involve anything special, it could be something really simple like having popcorn while watching a DVD or taking the dog for a walk. The main thing is that you do it together, every week. Having a family meal together can also be an important part of your routine as it is the perfect opportunity to catch up with each other’s news. Even if you can’t eat together every night, try to sit around the table as a family at least once a week.

Hopefully that has taken care of the family and home life but now is the time to also think about you and your well being. The Summer Holidays are coming to an end and everything is slowly getting back to “normal” it could be the perfect time to think about your career and if you are happy in your current position or if you feel now is a good time for a change.

Whether you are looking for a complete change in career or a new challenge within the same industry, YourRecruit Group are just a phone call away and are on hand to offer support and guidance with your job search.

We look forward to hearing from you!