A couple of weeks ago I got home from work after taking my son to the dentist on the Monday to find my youngest was not well. The way we knew that she was not well was because she was quietly lying on the couch. Everyone that knows Anna knows that she is anything but quiet and inactive. At the time of night that it was there was no medical centre open with an appointment available.
So after a trip to CALMS at the Canberra Hospital and being advised that she will take about six days to recover…… What do you do? Normally I would have tried to work out how to go to work. However this time something told me to do the Daddy thing and stay home to look after Anna.
Initially, I was not keen to take four days off work without notice as I fell into the “work needs me” trap. I am happy to say that work did not need me, it can function without me. I must admit that I have used many of the hints and tips that I outlined in my article on Trust Your Team (found on www.ovari.biz).
I did send out an email on my first day of leave advising my boss, which included my leave documentation. I also emailed my direct reports and let them know and outlined anything key that I needed to tell them. Finally I went through my diary to advise people I was meeting with that I will be an apology. Then I was all good to take care of my daughter.
One of the benefits from the four days off; was that my stress levels dropped. Once I emailed the boss, direct reports and people I had meetings with, I was able to actually remove myself mentally from the workplace. Though I normally struggle with turning off from work, on this occasion I was able to and it was good for the soul.
So after a week of caring for my daughter, I returned to work. I was very anxious going in that first day to what awaited me. I was fortunate that I had no meetings that first day and was able to focus on catching up. It worked out that my fears were unfounded. I had such a clear head that first day.
That first day was one of my most productive days in the office in months. In reality I achieved so much. I also discovered how good a team I had and how they maintained to do everything in my absence. So productivity was up….. Yes, I did miss some deadlines, but looking back I got everything done and the deadlines were not that key.
So all in all I was able to prioritise the family and still have things at work progressing well. I am thankful that over the last ten months I have trusted my team, built systems and empowered my staff, so that work does not stop when I am not around.
So does a Life-Work Balance really exist?
Filed under: Business, Family Tagged: Attila, Attila & Kim Ovari, Attila Ovari, Business, Canberra Hospital, Communication, Daddy, Direct Reports, Employment, empower, empower staff, empower team, Family, home, Leave, Life Work Balance, Meetings, Ovari, Parenting, Personal Leave, productivity, Quality of Life, Relax, relaxation, Sick Child, Sick Family, Sick Leave, Small business, system development, Time Off, trust your team, Work Life Balance, Work Needs me
