Most people want to work for an organization that offers a good work/life balance. It’s a win-win for the employer and the employee; the employees are happy, which equals less turnover.
A response to last week’s blog mentioned the growing number of positions with software companies and consulting firms which require a significant amount of travel – upwards of 70 percent. These positions are lucrative and provide the necessary foot in the door of the industry, but as this person commented, they’re not ideal for someone who has a family or other obligations.
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, recently went public with the fact that she leaves the office by 5:30 p.m. to have dinner with the kids. Why did the announcement make headlines? It certainly isn’t illegal to work a 40-hour work week, but somehow there’s an unwritten edict in corporate culture that in order to succeed, you need to work long hours. For women, who are already paid an average of 25 cents less on the dollar than their male counterparts, leaving work at a reasonable time to have dinner with the family is seen as a weakness.
Sorry, got a little of topic, so what am I getting at? If you’re on the job market, it’s important to identify not just what you can offer your next employer, but what can they offer you? Work-from-home days, good benefits and tuition reimbursement are some of the basics. How do they nurture your professional development? Is it “a fend-for-yourself” type of environment or are new ideas welcomed – even implemented? What type of culture does the company have? In an interview, it’s OK to conduct your own interview and ask these types of questions.
If you have done some soul searching before making the decision to find a new job or switch careers, you should have identified what you consider is the ideal work/life balance. Write this down and keep it handy as a reminder for when you’re researching an organization and preparing for an interview. Stay true to your needs and wants. Accepting a position is a lot like dating, you shouldn’t make sacrifices just to be in a relationship. Not only is this basically wasting time and energy on a poor match, but it’s stunting your personal and professional growth.
E.J. Fechenda is the Audience Data Manager for MedTech Media. Since 2008 she has helped manage Healthcare Finance JobSpot and Healthcare IT JobSpot - now merged with HIMSS JobMine. She is not a Human Resources professional, nor a healthcare expert, but over the years she's accumulated a lot of feedback and insight from both job seekers and employers alike. Each week E.J. will deliver a blog based on this information. One week will be employer focused and the next week, job seeker focused.
