Work Life Balance: A Challenge for Everyone

Mark Woods, Pharm.D., FASHP

When asked to reflect on and provide some advice about “Balancing Work and Life,” I questioned whether I was really the right person to answer this question. Balancing work and life has been a constant struggle for me and I believe it is a constant struggle for any professional person who aspires to accomplish big things in their careers. It requires frequent assessment and adjustment if one wishes to achieve some modicum of balance because your life is constantly changing: new job, relationships, promotions, marriage/divorce, social or church engagements, children, hobbies or other interests, ageing parents requiring assistance, etc. As the dynamics of your life change, recalibration of your time and commitment to the different domains of your life is essential.

Achieving work-life balance is not just an issue for young “professionals who are just beginning to raise a family or thinking about starting one.” Young pharmacy professionals, predominantly women, have almost single-handedly driven the profession’s need to develop new and creative work schedules that meet department’s patient care obligations yet accommodate the needs of staff members. While accommodating the needs of this group is critical, it is important to recognize that work-life balance is not less important to other staff members. Some individuals choose not to have children. Some of our more experienced practitioners may no longer have children at home. Some fully engaged staff members may be confronted with becoming primary care providers for their parents at some future time. Achieving work-life balance is no more or less critical to any one of these groups of people. The principles one employs to achieve this balance probably apply to all staff members.

My first bit of advice to someone regarding work-life balance would be for them to remain authentic to themselves and the people around them. Are you able to consistently be the same individual in all domains of your life: personal, family, professional, social, community, church, etc.? Is the person those around you see the same person or different, depending on the setting? If there is substantial differences place-to-place I would contend it is going to be very difficult to achieve good balance. Having to “turn on and off” different persona long-term can be exhausting and lead to inconsistency in the way we deal with people and situations and makes us appear disingenuous. When we are inconsistent with those around us it leads them to question our authenticity. Being authentic with people helps everyone around you know what your priorities are and what’s most important in your life. If people know what is important to you it can reduce the likelihood they consistently make demands that compromise the commitments (personal or professional) most important to you.

Another important principle is to seek out and set positive examples or role models when it comes to work-life balance. When interviewing for a position, try to learn all you can about the organization’s culture. This should be done both during the formal interview process talking to the organization’s leadership and staff, as well as talking informally with students, residents and/or employees who were there previously. During the interview process asking questions about the schedule (how many weekends? holidays? evenings? midnights?), opportunities for part-time status/job share or flexible scheduling and how the department deals with staffing shortages can provide critical insight into the organization’s appreciation for work-life balance. Do the department’s leadership group/managers set a good example for staff? If leaders are putting in considerably more or less time at work than staff members, are they really modeling optimal behavior for their colleagues? Finally, are there staff members available who can serve as mentors or role models for your personal situation? Are there staff members doing the things you aspire to do in your life? If you are a young woman, are there female staff members who have a family, have advanced into a clinical specialist position, yet remained well-balanced in all the areas important to you? If you are a young man are there male staff members who have learned how to balance coaching their third graders basketball team, precept pharmacy students and occasionally present a poster at a state or national pharmacy conference? Places that have staff members who live the principle that “You can have it all, you just can’t have it all at once.” are probably organizations that are supportive of work-life balance.

Finally, it is very important to recognize there will be times in your career when work-life balance is impossible to achieve. Recognize that there are times when imbalance is good. Clearly, after the birth of a child, a mother and father’s balance is skewed toward the needs of the infant and the adjustments they must make in the subsequent 18 year to provide the child appropriate direction and support. With time, each parent makes adjustments to return to a new, but more balanced steady state. Certainly, there will be situations in your professional life that may demand imbalance. The implementation of new automation, a new computer system or clinical program may demand one spends an inordinate amount of time at work. Advancing practice and improving patient safety/clinical services seldom come at little or no cost and may require some short-term personal sacrifices. Temporary imbalance to improve practice is necessary and acceptable to a point. However, when professional imbalance becomes the rule and not the exception, one must take a step back and re-examine work-life balance. With today’s chronic staffing shortages and ever increasing opportunities and expectations of pharmacy departments, the potential for chronic professional imbalance has never been greater. As a young practitioner, resisting all these professional opportunities can be a challenge. Saying “yes” to all these opportunities may put you on the fast track for promotion. It may also facilitate the development of work-life imbalance and professional burnout. Wise people recognize chronic imbalance in any domain will make it difficult for one to achieve the consistency and authenticity we desire in our lives.