Working Dads - How To Balance Work Life And Family Life
Working Dads - The Unspoken Balancing Act
It’s a tough role being a working dad - you want to be able to split your family responsibilities equally with your professional ones, but unfortunately it’s not as easy as all of that.
The whole thing is a balancing act that you need to get right as a working father - fear not because below we’ve provided a few key tips to keep the balance a little healthier than normal allowing you to keep everyone happy.
Communication - We all know that an open dialogue is extremely useful when it comes to communicating with your boss, but the same can apply when communicating with your family. Keep your family up to speed with the goings on at the office, explaining to them why you sometimes have to stay late for example - they will appreciate it!
Having a strong level of communication between you and your family will work to strengthen your family’s attitude to your work so you can enjoy a few guilt free evenings in the office because everyone will be on the same page.
Family Calendar - It’s a good idea to keep a calendar specifically set aside to list all of the family member’s upcoming events. This is a great way to avoid booking a meeting on the same day as your son’s sports day for example.
Stay Away - Although you have all these tools now to keep you attached to your office, such as your Blackberry and your email, you should make sure that you close the door on the office for a few hours every night and take the time to spend with your family instead. They shouldn’t be ignored!
Give as much attention to your family as you do to your work when you’re in the office - you don’t watch TV when you should be working through a project and the opposite goes for your home life.
Meetings - You spend your time making and holding meetings with work mates and bosses in the office - try making and holding a meeting with your kids. Agree on a time that suits you both where you can play some football, or go to the park and make sure you stick to it!
Family Day - This of course depends on how family-friendly your place of work is, but if you think they welcome families then think about arranging a special family day where people bring in their families.
This is a much needed development particularly in the holiday months when children aren’t in school and parents want to spend as much time as possible with their children. If you have any hand in the decision making process in your office try and get this happening and you’ll be a hero!
Working Dad?
Are you a working dad trying to get the balance right between home and work? What do you think of our advice? Let us know…
