Credit: Maria Bellissimo for EliteDaily
Work-life balance is the holy grail of employment. Personally,
I would take a lower, but still fair, salary that comes with work-life
balance over a higher salary that costs me my life.
Because employers know that work-life balance is highly sought after,
they boast it, but it’s hard to tell whether a job affords you a
solid work-life balance until you start the job.
But, here’s what you can do to ensure that you have it:
1. Be straightforward about your requirement for work-life balance from the beginning.
When meeting a potential employer, make your work-life balance
expectation clear from the get-go. Don’t be afraid that doing so will
disqualify you as a candidate for the job.
If a company takes you out of the running because you stated that
your personal life comes above your work, that company is not the type
of company for which you want to work.
Employers should respect that you prioritize the rest of your life
over your job because that’s exactly the order of importance in which
life and work should rank, if you have your priorities straight.
I purposely state my need for work-life balance and inquire about the
quality of it at every company where I interview, mainly to test
recruiters’ reactions.
How they handle questions about work-life balance tells me a lot about whether or not it’s valued in the company.
If interviewers flinch, get defensive or beat around direct answer
with excuses, I disqualify their company as a candidate in my employment
search, and I professionally say so.
Thus, it is much harder for a company to get through my interview
process than vice versa. I refuse to drop my standard for work-life
balance for any “opportunity.”
2. Choose a workplace with a culture that matches your needs.
Research the company, read reviews and talk to as many current employees as you can during the interview process.
Ask every person what he or she likes most about working there and how he or she feels about his or her work-life balance.
Pay more attention to the non-verbal cues than words. Remember, these
people work there; they have to try to sell you. Hesitation and
vagueness in response are red flags. Relaxed, detailed replies are
better reflections of honesty.
Again, don’t be afraid to catch them off guard. If they make you feel
like you’re out of line by asking, work-life balance is evidently not
an integral part of the company culture, and you want to work for a
company that shares your values.
3. Set expectations with your manager from the get go.
Every time I start a new role or have a new person to whom I must
report, I meet with him or her. I first ask his or her expectations of
me and then, I relay my expectations.
My first corporate environment raised me to do this. My second
seemed surprised by it — especially given my age —, but it earned me
instant respect. I intend to carry this practice throughout my career,
and I encourage you to do the same.
Confidently tell your manager that, while you are excited to conquer
the role, you do have priorities outside of it. Set boundaries.
For example, if you don’t like receiving email notifications from
work on your days off, politely state that you will disable them on
weekends.
Do not ask permission. You are entitled to not have to think about
work while not working. If there’s an emergency, they can call — if
that’s okay with you.
4. Be willing to leave your job.
I can hear hearts suddenly pounding in panic at the very idea of leaving a job to have a life, but is there any better reason?
Sometimes, no matter how many questions you’ve asked to learn a
company’s values during the interview process, or the boundaries you try
to establish between you and your employer, you find that you’ve landed
in a work-comes-above-all-else culture.
I was in that position in my early 20s and I left without another job lined up. A VP begged me to stay, but I literally skipped out the door.
I finally decided that my life meant more to me than any job ever could and it is one of my proudest life choices.
I later moved on to a company full of fabulous people who offered an excellent work-life balance (which I eventually left in favor of Paris, but that’s another story).
You see, having work-life balance depends on the lengths you’re
willing to go to prioritize it. When it comes down to your job or your
life, your life should always come first.
Don’t give your employer power to dictate how you live. You get paid
to do a job, not to relinquish your soul. Remember that because if you
believe your job is the be-all and end-all of your life, you are under
your employer’s control.
When you realize that all jobs are replaceable and, more importantly,
less valuable than your life, you understand that you govern yourself.
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