Work-Life balance – ideas for action

Apparently 1 March is designated “Work-Life Balance” Day. Not sure it made any difference to me, but there it is…

I found the following article online at (of all places) the AccountingNet website (I think more than this is definitely possible, but this is a good start):

There are many reasons why someone might be interested in work life balance working arrangements. They benefit employees by allowing flexibility in the workplace which allows them to effectively combine work and family responsibilities as well as their personal life. The benefits to the employer are that the policies allow for better retainment and recruitment of valuable employees which can save employers from costs associated with recruitment and training of new staff. The policies should aim to facilitate equality of opportunity for men and women in the workplace.

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How to Get the Most Out of a Job You Hate

I was recently asked to contribute to a magazine feature that focussed on helping people get the most of jobs, even when they hated doing what they did. This is a tough topic for me, as I enjoy nearly every moment of my job. I also work for myself (although the company I co-founded now has over 30 people in it). But I interact often with people who are desperate to escape. It comes with the territory when you do what we do – we show people what the future could be, and we help companies think about how to make better working environments. So, while doing some research into what others have said on the topic, I discovered some nice pearls of wisdom to add to some of what TomorrowToday.biz would say.

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KFC gets it!

I was fascinated yesterday while reading through my local Caxton newspaper to see a brochure from KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) on their latest offering….oven grilled chicken. WOW!!! In a world marinated (literally) in junk foods, fast foods, flavourants and the like, this is an interesting new strategy from the colonel. What I find most interesting is that they are punting the new option as “a matter of taste”. This may be a marketing faux pas, it does imply that their other offering (deep fried, cholesterol filled, artery hardening option..) doesnt taste as good, but whatever the case this is an interesting move on their part. So what would be the reasoning:

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Female Friendly Firms are actually Family Friendly

Around the world, a growing number of organisations are starting to realise that it is a massive loss to lose women in the 30s and 40s – women who opt out of the rat race in order to focus attention on family issues, including child care and ageing parents (see previous post on the Sandwich generation). To cater for some of the demands on these multi-tasking women’s time, some companies are starting to become more flexible about work hours, provide more services to employees and become more friendly to “personal” issues that need resolving.

These companies are often celebrated as “women friendly”, and there are many lists emerging now of women-friendly companies. Governments and non-profits are putting energy into raising awareness of these issues (e.g. EOWA in Australia – Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency).

The Age in Australia, reports today that EOWA is having the desired effect, with more and more female (family) friendly companies emerging – read the report here.

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Cornflakes Turn 100 Today

And finally…

Today is the 100th birthday of the humble cornflake. William and John Kellogg had started the sanitas Food Company to provide America with whole grained cereals in the 1800s. They stumbled across the cornflake after leaving some dough out overnight by mistake. They served the first bowl of their experimental breakfast on March 7, 1897. The Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company (later to become Kellogg Company), founded by William, started selling them in 1906, on 19 Feb. John (a medical doctor) was appalled to discover his brother had added sugar to them. They had an argument, a falling out and parted ways, never to speak to each other again (Hence, I believe “Kellogg”, rather than “Kelloggs” as it has become known).

So, now you know.

All the seeds in the world

The New Scientist of 12 Jan 2006 reports that The Global Crop Diversity Trust, together with the Norwegian government and a global consortium of nations is planning to create a “Doomsday vault to avert world famine”.

The Norwegian government will hollow out a cave on the ice-bound island of Spitsbergen (just over 1,000 from the North Pole) to house a vault that will contain every single type of seed currently known to humankind. The “seed bank” will be designed to withstand global catastrophes like nuclear war or natural disasters that would destroy the planet’s sources of food. It will be available to restart agriculture in the event of a major disaster.

Now, lets just hope that everyone with a key to this environmental Fort Knox isn’t wiped out in whatever disaster the designers are anticipating.

Happiness in the Workplace

Some info from Dr. Timothy J Sharp (a.k.a. Dr. Happy), http://www.drhappy.com.au, who looks at research into happiness in the workplace.

TIM’S QUICK SUMMARY

In brief, high performing groups within the most successful organisations (1) feel valued, (2) are supported and allowed to think critically and (3) are provided with the resources and given the opportunity to seize opportunities. High performing groups also engage in more “human dialogue” (which simply means they collaborate more and communicate more effectively) and are headed by leaders who know their strengths and utilise the strengths of others.

Combining the experience and expertise available at Sharp & Co. and The Happiness Institute, we specialise in applying the powerful principles of Positive Psychology as well as Cognitive Behavioural Coaching. This includes the key principles described in this fascinating research such as helping individuals identify and utilise core strengths, communicate more effectively and appropriately, and think more optimistically. As a result, we’ve succeeded in helping organisations develop key individuals and build happy and high performing teams.

For the full report, see below:

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Why you need an iPod for Christmas?

I just had a birthday. My amazing wife bought me an iPod Video. It replaces my iPod mini that’s given me hours of amazingness. I used my iPod mini for mostly travelling by plane to escape the mind-numbing experience of airline travel. As I discovered PodCasts I spent a lot less time listening to music, and a lot more time getting some great input from the various PodCasts I subscribe to. The iPod video will enhance my experience even more. (that’s the theory)

In our business we’ve started to video some of our presentations. We’re hoping it will not only share the knowledge of a virtual team, but act as a quality enhancement tool as well. We’ll now be able to give eachother contructive feedback on what we saw and heard.
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More grandparents raising children

One of the major problems of the AIDS epidemic in Africa (and soon in Asia, Russia, China and India, too), is that it hits the middle age people most (mainly because in Africa, AIDS is sexually transmitted between heterosexuals). This has the effect of removing parents from society. Its hard to write that blandly, without feeling the impact of it in your gut – especially if you live in Africa at the moment. For example, The Starfish Foundation estimates that there will be over 2 million orphans in southern Africa alone, by the year 2010.

This is a demographic tidal wave.

But I was interested to discover that it is by no means unique to Africa, nor to AIDS affected countries. In Australia, for example, there are over 22,500 grandparent-headed families (see full report). The majority of those cases are a result of a parent’s drug or alcohol abuse, neglect, death or disability.

According to The US Census 2000, there were 2,350,477 grandparents in the USA responsible for raising one or more of their grandchildren (from GrandsPlace), accounting for 6% (or 4.5 million) of all US children. The literature on this phenomenon suggests that there are probably many more children in informal care arrangements residing with their grandparents than the data can capture, and the number is growing rapidly (see more info at National Center for Grandparents raising Grandchildren or Grandparenting.org). In the US, between 1990 and 2000, the number of children under 18 increased by 14.3%; within that same decade, the number of US children in grandparent-headed households increased by 30%. The data also indicates that grandparent-headed households are twice as likely to live in poverty as other American families.

This is a frightening social phenomenon.

Two Socks to Success

Surgeons call it double gloving – one latex glove over another for extra protection in difficult or potentially dangerous procedures. Though not for the same reasons, scientists have now discovered that ‚double socking‛ – wearing two layers of socks could change your life… here’s why. Red blood corpuscles transport oxygen to every cell and organ in your body. More corpuscles mean more available oxygen, which is the most essential ingredient for optimal functioning, thus resulting in better performance on a mental and physical level. Fewer erythrocytes (corpuscles) mean less oxygenation in the blood, which leads to a condition known as hypoxaemia. Although the body adapts to this insufficient supply of oxygen over time, it can’t possibly operate to its full potential. The normal lifespan of an erythrocyte is about 120 days, after which it undergoes natural haemolysis or breakdown. That haemolysis happens prematurely for damaged corpuscles â€? and that’s where the socks come in handy (or is it footy?) Most damage related haemolysis occurs in the soles of our feet â€? due to the pressures exerted by walking, standing and exercising (no other part of the body takes the sort of beating our soles do). According to researchers, not only does the dual sock layer decrease the pressure effects on the feet, but also provides a layer of insulation that maintains a higher temperature in our extremities, resulting in an increased blood flow, with lower vascular resistance and ultimately less damage to erythrocytes. It’s a simple equation – more socks, mean less damage to blood corpuscles and more available oxygen, resulting in greater performance overall. No ‚sole searching‛ required â€? just do it.

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Innovation in the healthcare sector Please!!

My wife was feeling a little queasy over the past few days. After having been to India, we both decided that maybe it would be a good idea to get this checked out sooner rather than later (Malaria and Hepatitis being some of the nasties that one can pick up there) So we went off to the emergency rooms at Wilgeheuwel at 9pm at night. We arrived at the desk in the emergency are where the gent behind the desk asked us if we were on medical aid. The answer is yes and no. We are on a hospital plan with Discover for a few reasons.

We downgraded ourselves as we never used up the out of hospital benefits and were wasting money paying for it
We dont have children who “eat” through that benefit as many people who have children do
We have resorted to saving the difference on a monthly basis so that we can pay for any of our medical bills cash.
So, upon telling the gent that we would be paying cash, he informed us that we would have to put down a R 600.00 deposit to be able to see the doctor and then the doctors fees and other sundries would be deducted off this, but the bill could be up to R 900.00 – RIDICULOUS. We left and went to Flora Clinic where a far more reasonable R 270.00 was charged and the total bill was R 344.00 after seeing the doctor.

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Work/Life Balance – So what does that mean in this fast moving world we live in?

The other day someone commented that they were worried about me because all I seem to do is work. I don’t see it like that at all. I think I do understand the concept and have a definite control over what I do . I do work from a virtual office and maybe that does change the hours that I work compared to others. The stage of life that I am in allows me different options that others may not have at present.

That got me thinking………

How do we define Work Life balance today?

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It’s a small world anyway

So here I am in Hawaii with my head having just arrived in Atlanta. It still has about a 9 hour trip to catch-up with the rest of me. Added trouble is that I picked-up a nasty flu type bug as I was leaving SA and which then decided to make my head its home – I guess it recognised the uncrowded environment and knew a good thing when it saw it. Now I know the logic you working on is: How can my head be in Atlanta when here I am in Hawaii with a bug which just so happens to be in my head? Yes it is perplexing but such is paradox and I will leave it there for your further exploration. Any answers would be appreciated.

But let me get to the point.
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Where does the water go?

Today, the pumps in New Orleans started up again. The levees are being repaired, and the USA can start pumping the water out of the 60% of New Orleans that is still under 3 to 6 feet of water. The 10,000 odd people who are refusing to leave the city are being warned about the toxic water that surrounds them. The sewers have essentially emptied into the water. Petrol (Gas) stations, and the oil and petrol in multiple abandoned cars, and chemicals in people’s sheds have all spilled into the water. Dead bodies, some human and hundreds of animals lie bloated on islands or float in the water – and that’s just what can be seen. Who knows what lies waiting when houses and buildings are opened.

But now the authorities must pump this water out of New Orleans. To where? Into surrounding lakes, and into the Gulf of Mexico! This is one of the greatest ecological disasters in history in the making!! And the ever-environmentally conscious US administration’s response: “one problem at a time, please.” Read a Reuters briefing on this.

And thus the accelerated unravelling of Uncle Sam.

What Really Matters

A man died ‘in my arms’ this past weekend. After 20min of CPR on the beach we managed to get his pulse and breathing back momentarily – but it was shortlived. By the time the ambulance arrived, he’d been pulseless for too long. Just an hour before, a father, mother and daughter were enjoying some quality time on their boat – when it accidentally flipped and suddenly their whole world imploded. His tragic passing brought a simple truth to light for me again: Yes, life’s short (we’ve all heard that before) – but you never know just how short it’ll be … so do what matters.

Make that call, pay that visit – you know what’s really important … please do it.

My relief

The past week I learnt a lot about myself. We learnt that the final tests on our baby came out totally clean after what have been six months of anxiety and worry. What I realised, though, is that during these six months I was actually under a lot more stress than I thought. Only when I felt the immensity of the relief did I realise that I must have been under a heavy burden.

Suddenly I have the energy to do and start the things that I should have started months ago. Those creative thoughts that I get when I do my morning run. Two months a go I thought of them, but simply knew I didn’t have the energy to pursue them. In a business like ours where proactivity is the only way to survive, this is quite a disadvantage. Not only for work, but also for relationships with people that expect things from you which you simply don’t have the enegy to deliver. It’s almost as if my brain was rebooted in “safe” mode – loosing some functionality but with enough functionality to survive, at least.
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The Three C’s of the Connection Economy Women

Having watched the segment on working moms (premium content, requires free login) on last Sunday’s Carte Blanche, the subject of balance touched a chord, yet again. Very aptly put by one of the interviewees, we seek the “Three C’s” in career, cash and children and many, as in my case, are ever-optimistic about balancing the three. As we move into the Connection Economy, women have huge value to add, both within a work and social context, and are becoming increasingly aware of it too. And as our talents become more valued, so the demand on them increases as does the tendency to spread ourselves as thinly as possible to keep everyone happy (yet another of our many virtues!).

So where is the balance when there is a strong need for a sense of purpose, value and independence and simultaneously a committment to nurturing and raising balanced, secure children? It’s a juggling act like no other and working flexi-time from home makes it no easier. There are many days when I reflect on the amount of times I have had to switch roles in the blink of an eye from mom to wife to businesswoman to taxi driver to daughter to friend to grocery-shopper to sister to cook to employer to cricket/soccer/tennis player to… let’s not even go there!( Sam Cowan – I’m with you on that one, girlfriend!). The psychologist in the segment points out that one has to strike a balance which works FOR YOU which is where I realised there is a 4th “C” that essentially needs to straddle the others – “choice”. This is one hurdle that seems to face many women today in that we don’t feel we have a choice in forcing the balance.

Having been blessed with amazing multi-tasking abilities but burdened with a need to prove them (and often perfectionism to complicate things further!), we take on whatever comes our way and in doing so, the balance we seek is ever-elusive. Until such time as we are prepared to make the tough choices and say “no” to those tasks and responsibilities which threaten our own personal balance, we’ll never be those imaginary perfectly in control women! On that note, I sign off to tackle my list of 101 “have to do’s” before lunch.

Chilled out leaders

In the northern hemisphere its August (OK, its August everywhere), and that means summer holidays. Traditionally, many countries (specifically France) seem to shut down in their entirety. Certainly, not much seems to get done (just like the southern hemisphere mid December to md January period). Yet, these days, the “tyranny of technology” means that its harder and harder to really get away.

I read a great piece this morning on the phenomenon of leaders who feel too self-important to switch off the phone and ignore the emails (“War rages? Why fret? It’s August, time for vacation” by Debra Pickett, Chicago Sun-Times, 19 August 2005). The article was actually about President Bush, and the 5 week holiday he has taken, and made comments on his work ethic generally (working out 6 days a week, always in bed by 10am, the only President in living memory to look younger after a term in office than before, etc). The article is worth reading, just for the dripping irony of the last line.

But I digress… The important part is the middle section, where the author comments on leaders who feel the need to be in touch and in command all the time. I wonder if one of the symptoms of the connection economy will be the ability to take decent holidays? I have copied the relevant piece below for your reading pleasure.
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Selling body parts

Today, in Durban, South Africa, 5 doctors gave themselves up to the police after warrants of arrest were issued for them (read News24 coverage). In short, they are part of a global network that buys and sells human organs, especially kidneys.

The story as it stands is that wealthy (mainly Israeli) clients pay up to $ 120,000 (yep!!) for a kidney transplant. Doctors in many countries, including the accused in South Africa act as middle men, and also do the surgery. The kidneys are sourced from donors in (mainly) Brazil, who are paid $ 10,000. Hospital fees can be up to $ 50,000, which means that these middle men who were in court today could earn as much as $ 60,000 per operation. They are known to have done more than 110 in the past few years.

This is technically illegal, and contravenes South Africa’s Trafficking in Human Organs Act. I don’t know why it should be illegal.

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Social Entrepreneurs can teach us about the Connection Economy

I have been privileged in the last 2 weeks to attend two functions that have pulled at my hearts strings. First a function at GIBS where a group of interested social entrepreneurs came together to listen to the stories of two great people. The second fuction was the induction of new Ashoka members. My favourite definition of a social entrepreneur is A PERSON WHO IS PASSIONATE ABOUT CHANGE TO THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND MONEY IS NOT THEIR DRIVING OBJECT. What makes these people do what they do against the tide and great odds. Some leave behind careers with promise. All are great leaders and have heart space that makes the room feel their passion. What we would do for more leaders like this in the business world.They are innovative and not scared to stand on their beliefs.

The sadness for me is that for us as South Africans these stories do not make the media and very few people are even aware of these people.

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Adrenaline Junkie

To those who make the world go round, the achievers, the movers and shakers, the driven, the unstoppable, the determined, those who strive for excellence in all they do, and those who live life to the fullest … a warning: You may have an addiction problem – one that threatens to shorten your days on earth drastically.

“I’m an adrenaline junkie!” is a boast that tends to draw more admiration than condemnation these days. Hopefully the next few lines will dispel that unapprised swank and help those of us who feel this way to keep our cravings to ourselves.

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The Digital Hospital

In BusinessWeek on 28 March, 2005, they profiled the Digital Hospital. This is a real, working existing hospital that has just made excellent use of existing technologies. You can see a slide show, which gives you a brief overview of what they have done. It ranges from wireless keyboard Internet surfing in patient’s beds, to remote surgery, from wireless laptops for every nurse to enter patient info at the bedside (and doctor’s to check remotely immediately) to a robot (Mr Rounder) used to do rounds and providing video conference links to actual doctors, from scanned in X-rays available for instant download anywhere to PDAs for all the doctors.

To be honest, it isn’t rocket science, nor is it impressive to your average 20 year old techie. What is impressive is that a large organisation has actually gone and done it. More will follow soon. Aren’t you tired of knowing what CAN be done by technology, and yet not seeing it at banks, schools, hospitals, grocery stores, gas stations, … – actually not really seeing it anywhere?

Read the full story here.

Burn-out and wellness

Last week a 35-year old, brilliant consultant from Atos-KPMG died of a heart attack. We worked together on the DWAF project. He was an in-shape, lean-looking guy. He leaves behind two small kids (9mnths and 2 years) and his wife.
Lesson for myself: Get out on the road and stay fit and get rid of stress and frustrations.
Lesson to all of us: Hold each other accountable for being healthy in body, mind and spirit.
Lesson to our clients: Take care of your BYT’s. Do not burn your brilliant young people. BYT’s are by nature smart, ambitious and willing and able to take on more than their peers. Do not abuse this. If someone runs in over-drive from age 25, he/she can be dead by age 35.

Downshifting – Changing the gears

Tired of the constant pressure of corporate life Bruce decided he no longer needed this kind of life. With no dependents he and his wife sold-up house and business and moved into a rustic coastal cottage they now call home. Turning to what they love, voluntarily dabbling in a variety of ventures of their choice and simplifying their lifestyle will be the new context in which they life and work.

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Stress is not the enemy

Some people thrive under pressure, others wane � why? Sustained high performance demands physical, emotional and mental strength. To keep all three in peak performing condition, executives need to learn what world class athletes already know: Recovering energy is as important as expending it.

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Old wives tales

Feed a cold, starve a fever

Or is it starve a cold and feed a fever? It really doesn’t matter, since both are wrong. Whether you’re burning up or nursing a cold, good, ample nutrition always aids in the healing process.

Put butter on a burn

Twaddle. This is silly and dangerous, as the greasiness holds the heat inside the skin, deepening the burn and making it more severe. Cool (not cold!) running water will effectively reduce the heat and minimize damage.

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A lesson in cellular biology

As a child, my mother led me to believe that if my ears glowed, someone, somewhere was talking about me. More recently though, I came across the real reason for red ears (which now makes me wonder about the validity of the tooth fairy).

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Forget the Taliban – Ban the tan

Introduction
More and more companies are doing it. Just the other day I sat in a conference with one of South Africa’s multi-nationals and they were doing it. Chances are, if your company hasn’t started doing it, it’s going to start fairly soon.

What is the ‘it’ that they’re starting to do? They’re starting to see their employees and associates as more than simply resources to be arranged, motivated, and controlled to make more money. Someone has finally cottoned on to the fact that they’re human beings who are really valuable and part of a bigger system, that includes time and space outside of the working environment. I’ve actually observed companies actively engage their people about healthy ways to live, and helpful information on how to ensure a longer more fulfilling life.

The healthier people are, the happier they’ll be, and the more they’ll enjoy their work. Finally business is starting to understand that if you can get that right, there’s a direct link to productivity, customer satisfaction, market growth, and bottom line profit. Wonder why it’s taken so long to work that one out?

TomorrowToday.biz has started a new series that focuses on healthier living. Here’s to a longer healthier life, for you and me.…….

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