Is your boss a workaholic and expects you to be one? In fact, maybe it?s not uncommon for him to call you or email you on your time off or even over the holidays. So as we approach the holiday season, here are some tips to make sure you can spend your free time actually enjoying the season.
For one, set up some email boundries. Have an auto-reply saying you are unavailable. You can also send your boss a quick note or reply alerting him that you will be unavailable and that you will unable to answer emails until you return to the office.
?Be proactive. If it’s important to you to not be available at certain times, approach that with your boss. He or she will respect it more if you say that you can not be available at certain times than if you just don’t answer calls or emails,? explains life coach Jennifer Walsh. ?If you get an email outside of business hours, ask if it’s all right to respond the following day. In most cases, your boss sent it on without any expectation of an immediate response.?
Make sure you and your boss are on the same page. And if your home responsibilities don?t allow you to be on call as often as you used to be, discuss this with your boss–or change jobs. ?Before I had children, I was happy to take calls or jump on conference calls after hours as needed.? Once my twins were born, I could not do it anymore and it was not fair to stay on a job that required that.? I moved jobs happily,? shares Walsh.
And yes, it is possible to create a work-life balance. ?Now that I have three children, I want to have quality time but I also want to be responsive to work,? says Walsh, who advises some time management will be necessary. ?I might do a quick check on emails before bed in case there’s something that needs to be addressed.? A few minutes for a quick response can go a long way as long as it doesn’t interfere with your quality time at home.?
