Well-Being in the Workplace and Work/life Balance

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Within Outreach and Online Education, we are constantly experiencing growth and change. We must continue to adapt and change to serve our students and meet their expectations while remaining competitive within the marketplace. As we grow, we look for innovative ways to serve more students with less. While this can lead to opportunities for creativity and innovation, the amount of change combined with the amount of work is intense and can – at times — be stressful.

Our goal is to help each member of our team to find that “sweet” spot where you are comfortably challenged and energized at work – but not overwhelmed. We want to help you enjoy your work and feel fulfilled by your role in AA&SDS and provide the resources and guidance to find a comfortable balance.

A. Work/Life Balance Concept

We work in a fast-paced, hectic environment with large rosters, special projects, emails, phone calls, instant messages, yammer alerts, and people coming in and out of our work spaces. Like so many of our students, we all juggle multiple responsibilities that may include families to care for, higher education, or volunteer roles in the community.  We recognize these are a part of you and they are important.

B. Warning Signs/Ramifications of Being Unbalanced

It is important to recognize the warning signs of feeling overwhelmed.  How do you know when work is becoming too much and how will your supervisor become aware of how you are feeling?  If you haven’t thought about Work/Life Balance yet, now is the time!

When you are overwhelmed it can be difficult to focus on work tasks. You can become too fatigued to engage with your family and friends and you sacrifice quality time doing the things you enjoy to complete job responsibilities. When you are working too much, the quality of your work can diminish and it can show in your attitude. A good mood and being able to laugh is an important element to your well-being and to those around you. Always be sure to speak with your supervisor about your concerns.

C. Strategies for Maintaining Balance

It is important to manage a healthy work/life balance.

Here are some strategies that will help:

Your Supervisor Wants to Support you—Your success is their success. Don’t suffer in silence — talk to your supervisor about your experience. Our supervisors are there to help and support you in your role. They are trained to provide guidance and coaching to help you look at new ways to manage your work and can advocate for more resources, if needed. They may also be able to suggest professional development activities to help you improve your performance.

1. Please complete following quizzes:

• The following website, from the Stress Management Society, evaluates “How Vulnerable are You to Stress”.
• The following website, from Quintessential Careers, provides a Work/ Life Balance quiz.

2. Smarter Measure Readiness for Online Learning Assessment and iStudy for Success provides helpful links on Time Management, Motivation, The Importance of Making a Schedule, and Stress Management.

Additional Resources and Measures:

For more serious matters, Penn State also offers resources for staff to help support a healthy work/life balance.

• Penn State offers the EAP+Work/Life Program – for information, contact Health Advocate members or  866.799.2728 FREE.
• Academic Advising and Student Disability Services surveys our staff periodically to see how our staff members are doing. We appreciate open and honest feedback so that we may continue to improve our practices and climate.
• Take advantage of some great seminars out there about organizing and managing your work, which are offered through the Office of Human Resources Workplace Learning and SkillPath Training.
• Strategies for Organizing Your Work!  Talk to fellow advisers about their strategies and approaches to their work. Give some thought to how you organize your work – are you responding to students in a timely manner? Is it taking you too long to craft an email response to a student? Ask your mentor or other advisers on your team how they manage their workload. If you discover an efficiency that works, share it at a staff meeting! Additionally, think about your work friends – do you have a friend or mentor who you can talk to?
• Take a Breather When You Need It!  Learn to know when you need to take a breather– whether it’s a lunch break or a quick walk around the building, take time to clear your head when you need it.
• Last but not least, “The Top 10 Tips for Balancing Work and Family Life”  addresses strategies to assist you in finding a way to balance work and family life.