Work-Life Balance Out of Whack
Posted by Lisa Hendey in Family on Thursday, March 05, 2009 9:00 AM
While reading my local paper this week, I ran across this article by “Working Dad” columnist Paul Nyhan. The column’s premise is that as the economy causes hardships on American families, the always precarious balance between career and home life gets shifted even more in the favor of employers and against families.
Nyhan quotes an expert who shares that during such times of rising unemployment, employees must toe the line or face possible unemployment:
“In good times, employers may be willing to put up with things,” said Heather Boushey, a senior economist at the Center for American Progress. “These are bad times. There are 10 people who can take the job you have if you have any sort of extenuating circumstances.” While managers may gain power over work-life balance, parents also cede them power by limiting extenuating circumstances—a day off for a sick child, absences for school field trips, extra vacation—in today’s economic uncertainty, Boushey said.
In two career families, if both parents are faced with these types of challenges from employers, where does this leave our children and the priority on raising the next generation of Americans? I look to the example of a dear friend and her husband, both professionals, with hope that some families continue to choose family first. When life and career balance issues began to become perilously out of balance in their home, they took action. The husband is now in the midst of taking a few years off from work to prioritize being home with their preschool aged sons.
Have you or your husband found your employer making unreasonable or punitive demands upon your time in this climate of rising unemployment? What can we faith filled families do in our communities to stem the tide of “family unfriendly” policies and tactics?
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