Longer Hours

By Allison Berman
June 16, 2009

In these troubling financial times, employees are going to great lengths to hold on to their jobs and business owners are doing what they can to increase their bottom lines and avoid layoffs. Everyone is spending more time working. If you are finding the extra hours at work is leaving you with less time for you, your kids and your spouse, you are not alone.

People are spending significantly more time at work "happily" taking on additional responsibilities to maintain some semblance of financial security (keeping their jobs) in what is arguably the worst economic times many have seen.

Business owners are trying to find creative ways to make money in this depressed economy. Some are stepping up marketing efforts because even if they can't afford to spend the time and money marketing, they can't afford to not. Others are spending more time "out and about" actively raising their profile in the community. The really ambitious are doing both.

With employees and employers alike all working overtime, it can be hard for anyone to have, well, a life.

There is less time to see friends and extended family on weekends because that's when you're catching up on the things you used to do during the week - including seeing your kids. How can you can live in the same house and have days go by without seeing your kids? But, now that you leave the house before they wake up and get home after bedtime that's what's happening.

My daughters' early childhood experiences are clearly different from each others' considering my husband used to be home for dinner every night, and is now frequently out three nights a week.

When my older daughter was learning to talk she used to imitate my husband's quirk of saying "phone" announcing that it was ringing (rather than actually answering it). As my younger daughter learns to talk, instead of saying "phone," she started saying, "Daddy" because he calls much more often during the day to "check in" now that he isn't home for dinner as much anymore.

My husband was happy she was saying, "Daddy" but he wasn't thrilled to lose the family time. His solution: When he can, he signs up for MBA classes that start later in the evening, comes home for a quick bite, and then runs out again. It's harder on him physically because he doesn't get home until almost 11pm, but at least he is able to see the kids.

So, what can you do now that you're working more, home less, and your work/life balance is out of whack?

If you are one of the overextended employees or employers and your spouse is too, find a way to look past your spouse's responsibilities that are going undone at home. If you are fortunate enough that your spouse is picking up your responsibilities at home, don't focus on how hard you have it now. Recognize that your increased demands at work translate to increased responsibilities for your spouse at home. And if you are picking up the slack at home thank your spouse for working the extra hours.

Allison Berman, an artist and mother of two, handpaints custom home accessories for interior designers and private customers. She works out of her home studio in Warwick, NY. See her collection at www.withlovealib.com. She can be reached at ali@withlovealib.com. Her column appears Tuesdays.