Tuesday

The Challenges of Working Outside the Home and Having a Family

The tug of war one might have between work and family can be overwhelming at times.  There are the annoying phone calls from relatives while one is at work and the worry that one might not being doing enough for loved ones.  Then there is the job that demands long hours and the problem employees that come with it.  So many issues arise between the two sometimes far too close for a mind to handle.


Sooner or later emotional outbursts show up, impatience, forgetfulness, and a nagging feeling that something is wrong or about to happen begin to take over.  Stress is a known killer and too much of anything isn't good!  If one is too emotionally connected to family, he or she isn't going to do well at work.  If the worker is in love with his or her job more than a partner, then a relationship is bound to fail.


The challenges of working outside the home when trouble is brewing at home have to be managed.  Vacation, personal and sick days are there for good reason, but far too many workers put off these days and use them by the end of the year or don't do anything with them at all.  Meanwhile, major family issues are brewing, but one is too busy with work to care until the challenges started affecting his or her income.


Many workplace issues arise, not because the work atmosphere is so bad, but because employees bring unaddressed toxic topics from home into their work environment.  It isn't always what they say about home life that helps answer some unanswered questions about workplace performance issues, but how they behave with others.  You can get a good idea how someone's home life is by the way they manage people.  If the manager is often impatient, rude, irritable, and tardy, he or she is most likely behaving this way at home too.


A wife might be bitter about unresolved issues with her husband who loves work too much.  A husband may be annoyed about a wife who requests his attention be placed on family once he hits the front door.  But whatever the issues, when the writing is on the wall, as a business owner, leader, manager, supervisor, or employee, read it!  Don't ignore the problems.  Of course, we all have our share, but some workers are experiencing more than we can imagine, so rather than run from the elephant in the room while saying, "It's not any of my business," why not find out what is affecting your business and get down to the bottom of it?


Nicholl McGuire has various journals available online to assist with keeping one's thoughts in order visit Blurb.com.