Work-life balance for women

There is a vast difference in the way men deal with their career and the way women approach their career. For men, it is a life long need, necessity, engagement.....or what ever you may choose to call it.

For women it is different. Most women until they get married, are if not more, equally competitive and involved with their career as their male counterparts. I have been through long work hours as much as my male counterparts. But post marriage, things change for a women. Slowly marriage (husband), children and home becomes her priority. Children and husband need as much, if not more attention as career.

Yah, there are many women out there who will strongly disagree with what I have written. But having been working for a long time myself (both before and after marriage), I see a vast difference in my own career orientation. There is a greater pressure to strike a balance between "home" and the "office".

Women have an option which many of them exercise post marriage - to have a career or to become a home maker and not step out to work. The choice is there in many cases!

Men are not so lucky. As far as earning is concerned; they have little choice. They are the bread earners, also because they choose not to take on the home makers role.

From my own experience, there are many male friends who started their careers with me. Somewhere post marriage, I have consciously slowed down my pace (though I am still far more career minded than many of my female friends). My male friends who started their careers with me are much ahead of me. In terms of monetary gains or even the authority which comes with growth. They are ahead. I am as capable as many of them are; yet the choice to slow down was mine. Somewhere post marriage, I lost the competitiveness or that killing desire to succeed in my professional career. One can say; it dint matter as much.

After marriage, most women start looking for exits in this marathon called career. Either they get tired, burn out, too many responsibilities, children and their upbringing.....and so with time they start slowing down in their career. Again I am not stating that all of them do it, or all of them go through this phase, but yes a majority of them do.

Women must redefine career and not blindly go with the male definition of a career. Somewhere the need of the hour for married women, who are educated and skilled is to use their education and skills to be financially independent.

Career for a married women, who is a wife, a mother and a home maker is "to have the freedom of being creatively engaged, become financially independent, and have the time and energy required to become a good home maker." Long work hours, long hours commuting and job related stress bring imbalance in the married life.

I am attempting to differentiate between having a cut throat career orientation and being financially independent through flexi-working hours.

Unfortunately in India, there aren't too many avenues for women to keep flexi-working hours. As a result many intelligent and potential young managers (women) are forced to quit their careers and become home makers. Which is a loss for the Industry and also a loss for the economy.

Having said all that, if there are some brilliant women executives who are managing all this well (home and career), then they must step out and share their experiences with those not so lucky to strike this balance. More so in India.

How Rich, Is truly Rich?

Off late, one question/thought is coming to my mind again and again. "Can making more and more money be the only goal in one's life?".

Sounds scary. Feels scary. To think that every precious minute of one's life is directed towards making money! More and more of it. The only balance we know is ......sadly "Bank Balance".

How rich is truly rich? Is anyone in the world truly rich enough? If no, then is anyone in the world truly poor?

Is Maslow Hierarchy Failing?

Every day in the newspaper, I get to read that so and so company has cut so many employees or jobs.....It is disheartening. Intelligent, Competent, Committed and most of all highly Capable individuals have become a liability, just a cost! Organizations are coming up with the most ridiculous ways to get rid of employees. Some times blunt, some times false, at times considerate yet firm. Yes, the message comes to those chosen. You have to go! You have to go and feed your family. On what? there is no answer. Where will the next job come from?there is no answer.

Employee motivation is in pits. The fear of loosing once job, has killed creativity and engagement at all levels. Without motivation, where will performance come from? Without employee performance, how will organizations turn-around? No one knows. Right now they are all looking short term to cut looses.

It's sad to see, so may disengaged employees across industries. Each day thousands and lakhs of them go home, to further spread this gloom to their families. Suddenly "employee" word has become shameful. No ones wants to be where they are. Senior. Middle management or those at the lower levels. Everyone wants to move on from the current employer. In search of a better place to work, utopia. Which does not exist.

People who has worked hard to reach self esteem or self actualization on Maslow's Hierarchy, have slipped down to safety and security. Many time tested management models are failing. Everyone is grappling in the dark. Looks like we are dealing with an unknown monster this time.

My Green grocer, Car washer, and Tailor are certainly better off. No fear of loosing jobs. Job is not good work any more, it is just a necessity. Hang on...be there till times change. No one says, do good work and stay there. Who is to blame? I would say the senior management. Is that why they are paid hefty salaries?For not having looked at solutions and picked up employee exit or churn as the only option. It is a low hanging fruit anyways. Least creative solution!!!Cut cost by cutting jobs. We will hire when we need them. What about Corporate Social Responsibility?

Unless the HR department wakes up and handles this situation, employee disengagement may have serious consequences on the productivity and as a result turn around. Counseling cells have to be set up, help employee's cope with these tough times. The focus has to be on increasing productivity with the existing people, and not churning people to cut costs.