Strategies for Managing Work/Family/Personal Life
by Extension Employees and Their Families / Friends

Scheduling

Calendar scheduling is the most used strategy by program staff and administrators. Employee respondents say they use one calendar for scheduling work, family and personal dates. Many respondents refer to this as "creative scheduling."

Blocking time for annual leave (vacation) is important, too. "Veteran" employees (those with 20 or more years of service) are emphatic about getting annual leave on the calendar. One respondent comments, " Annual leave goes on the calendar first and I work around it for programming."

Respondents offer tips they use to make calendar scheduling work:

• Schedule all of annual leave--even if some of it is in half day increments.
• Before scheduling events ask, "Does this matter? Is it realistic? Can it be delegated?"
• Limit evening meetings/events to 1-2 per week; limit weekend events to 1-2 per month.
• Plan several meetings for the same time ("piggyback"). Float among them. 
• Use a highlighter pen on family dates and events, or write them in ink, so as not to double schedule.

Combining Work and Family

Extension employee respondents, especially veteran and "new" (those with five or less years of Extension employment), say combining work and family is a frequently used strategy. Specifically, this could involve the employee, spouse and children setting up a meeting room, registering participants, handing out materials and cleaning up after the event. More often, employees involve their spouse and/or family in work-related travel, ranging from day trips to longer conferences.
This strategy is used by the Extension family member/friend respondents, too, but much less frequently. In some instances, it's used out of frustration. As one respondent says, " Our family helps with work meetings just so we can have some time together."

Working Flexible Hours

Some degree of flextime is a strategy used by employee respondents including program staff, administrators and support staff. Some say they feel guilty using flextime because there is no formal policy in place. However, one group that doesn't mention guilt is the veteran program staff. They most often list this strategy, whether it's using compensatory time, working at home, coming to work late after an evening event the night before, or "leaving when I need to."

New program staff and support staff most often list working part-time as their flexible work strategy. Support staff use reciprocity more than other employees ( they "cover" for each other when one person is gone) and say it contributes to a "teamwork" concept.

One group of program staff uses the strategy of either working at home or going back to the office after the rest of the family has gone to bed. Only program staff with six to 19 years experience mention this practice.

Setting Boundaries

"Leave work at work" is a strategy common to all employees and their family members/friends. Some respondents mean it literally and some refer to it as a mental strategy.

Saying "NO" is another strategy all employee respondents use. New program staff and support staff say they want to learn more ways to say it graciously. According to a new employee, "Saying no is a way to be honest with people. At my kids' ball game I say 'I'm not on the job now, please contact me....'."

Making Family First 

Making family priority #1 is another strategy common to all employee respondents and their family member/friends. "Weekends are reserved for family and friends," echoes every respondent category.

Other family centered strategies include:

• Eat meals at unusual hours so the family can be together.
• Share household tasks and child care.
• Videotape missed children's events, then watch tape together as a family.
• Participate as a family in church/spiritual and other social, non-work organizations.
• Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Respondents in all groups (program, administration, support as well as family members/friends) make it a personal responsibility to use individual strategies.

Strategies to prevent/reduce personal stress include: 

• exercise
• gardening 
• yard work
• relaxing 
• taking breaks

• keep a positive attitude
• be organized but flexible 
• always have a plan B
• make lists
• do things the night before
• be kind and courteous. 

"We (I) have no strategies..." is a concern of some employee respondents. However, family member/friend respondents express many frustrations in trying to manage work/family and personal life. "Work is first, and everything else is a poor second," sums up many of the comments.

(1) Work/Life Issues of Extension Employees and Their Families/Friends. A national research project conducted by Ohio State University Extension in partnership with Joint Council of Extension Professionals, 1997.

Written by: Jan Thompson, Leader, Work/Life/Health Issues, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, 4/98.