Helpful Resources
This blog provides a guide to help faculty members reach an integration of career and life.
Managing Work and Life
This article from the Harvard Business Review is not specific to academics, but it lists several strategies for managing work and life to achieve balance. The authors reported that their interviews with successful executives yielded five themes: (a) defining success for oneself, (b) managing technology, (c) building support networks at home, (d) traveling or relocating selectively, and (e) collaborating with one’s partner.
Clocking Hours
In the Sciencearticle, the writer described how keeping track of the hours she worked and discovering how many hours she was actually spent on work each week altered her view of her work life and, on the basis of the data, change her work routine.
Working from Home
This Oregon State University site provides 26 tips for maximum productivity while working from home. These include tips under the headings of staying productive (e.g., maintaining a designated workspace and setting regular working hours), staying inspired and creating systems (e.g., creating start-up and shut-down rituals), and avoiding distractions (e.g., taking regular breaks and avoiding non-work tasks during designated work times).
Pregnant Employees
This article from the Harvard Business Review is not specific to academics, but it describes ways managers can support pregnant employees. These include (a) helping to negotiate parental benefits, (b) offering flexible work options, (c) accommodating time off for doctors’ appointments, (d) facilitating interactions with coworkers, and (e) creating an inclusive organizational climate.
Balancing Career and Personal Life
This is a report on interviews with NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholars that summarizes their advice on how to balance responsibilities for research and teaching while having a personal life. Examples of advice given include establishing a supportive network of friends and colleagues, taking time for oneself, learning to make choices so as not to become overcommitted, knowing the rules and understanding what’s expected for academic success, and scheduling time for all commitments, including scholarship.
Finding Work-Life Fit
Drexel University Office of Faculty Development lists some guidelines and suggestions aimed at helping faculty members consider their values and find the right fit for them between professional activities and home life. Specific suggestions include finding support both at home and at work, managing time through flexible scheduling, prioritizing and focusing on the most important activities, not feeling guilty about tasks not done, and preparing.
Women with Tenure Are More Likely Than Men to Leave Higher Education
A new study has found that women are more likely than men to leave faculty positions, and attrition is highest for women who have tenure or work in fields outside of science, technology, engineering, and math, according to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Women were more likely than men to leave at every career stage, with the gap increasing with rank. At the assistant-professor level, women were 6 percent more likely than men to leave; among full professors, they were 19 percent more likely than men to leave. Additionally, they reported leaving for different reasons for leaving. “Early-career women are more likely to leave due to issues with work-life balance, while women later in their careers are more likely to leave because of a hostile work environment. Men tend to cite professional reasons, such as a lack of resources or support.”