Hi everyone! 

I received emails from several people, who have indicated that they could not attend the Feb. 25, 2015 Career-Life Balance Seminar on Developing a Career Portfolio. Therefore, I have written notes from the seminar below for anyone who who wanted to come, but was unable to: 

Work-Life Balance

Work-Life Balance. Dean Laura Bryan says that the term, “balance,” is a very strong word. It implies that balance can be achievable; however, Dean Bryan says that, sometimes, work-life balance cannot be achieved. Instead, she prefers to utilizes other phrases, such as “work-life satisfaction” or “work-life effectiveness.”

Work-Life Culture

Work-Life culture is important as it sets the environment for the individual. It impacts both the wellness of the individual and the successfulness of the company. As Dean Laura Bryan puts it, “Every individual is appreciated for being a contributor and as a human being.” Work-life balance is an important factor to impacting long-term satisfaction. In a Horizons Workforce Survey that was recently conducted, Dean Bryan reported that “nearly 80% of all faculty members would consider leaving their current work situation for a more supportive work environment.” She also provided statistics of faculty members who would consider leaving to spend time for elder care and child care. These statistics are not meant to discourage prospective faculty members from pursuing a career in academe, but, are meant to show to importance of work-life balance.

Career-Life Considerations

As you look to find your own career path, there are several things to keep in mind. For example, in the academe, the job expectations for faculty members have been increasing with time; job expectations for a faculty member decades ago is now a fraction of a faculty’s job expectations today. Examples of some factors Dean Laura Bryan asks us to consider include, but are not limited to: job expectations, flexibility in career advancement and job responsibilities, having a relationship, having a family, health and wellness of the individual, family responsibilities (child care and elder care), financial stability, and transitions to retirement.

Career-Life Balance Strategies

In Dean Laura Bryan’s presentation, it said, “Career affects life; life affects career.” I find this to be a very important sentence. Dean Bryan mentioned that as we develop our career portfolio and find our own career path, it is best to choose a career where we can still be satisfied with our life responsibilities. If pursuing a career in the academe, it would be beneficial to look for whether the institution provides work-life polices, resources, and programs. If having a family, sometimes, institutions also provide such as career-life balance research grants, dependent care travel grants, and adoption assistance. These are a few examples of financial support options, but, are good to look at when considering a career.

At the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), there are family support plans and policies that promote work-life balance. For faculty and staff members, UMBC provides Family and Medical Leave and Parental Leave. For graduate assistants, UMBC provides Maternity leave. Located in the Commons is the Women’s Center, which offers a lactation room for mothers. A child care facility is located on campus as well. It is currently closed; however, it will re-open soon. Fathers, for example, can also utilize the family friendly policies, such as Family and Medical Leave, as well.

Leadership

Leaders affect the work-life environment. Dean Laura Bryan
n says, “Know and understand faculty and staff work-life challenges.” Faculty can be busy with work-life responsibilities as well, so, it is necessary to be flexible and have a sense of a shared purpose about work and life. Dean Laura Bryan mentions that communication is important. Good leaders who advocate a work-life culture would not have bias against caregivers, who care for children, parents, or others. Leaders who are responsive would establish clear expectations, are flexible, are supportive for the individual’s success, knows the legal do’s and don’ts, and provides resources/referrals to help assist the individual. Dean Laura Bryan says that most institutions would have a work-life balance website. We are currently working on the Career-Life Balance Initiative at UMBC webpage.

As Dean Laura Bryan ends her presentation, she provided everyone with wonderful tips. She also provided handouts for creating a career-life portfolio. All handouts that were supplied at the seminar will be shared on the PROMISE AGEP website.

Note:

Below are the handouts from the Feb. 25, 2015 Career-Life Balance Seminar on Developing a Career Portfolio: