By Kym Klass
The Montgomery Advertiser
Creating a balance between work and life can be work all on its own.
Finding the time to meet work deadlines and still find time to attend family events, school functions, or even take that much-needed vacation creates sacrifice at the workplace and on the home front. When work receives more attention, the family suffers. When the family is priority, work is put on hold.
Finding balance is difficult.
But being a data scientist can help.
Glassdoor, a job site that compiles data about workplaces, released recently a list of the top highly rated jobs for work-life balance. With results based entirely on employee feedback over the past year, the company Glassdoor listed data scientist as the top job if looking for a good balance, with 74 percent of employees saying the business will only get better.
The report looked at work-life balance ratings for each job title shared on Glassdoor in the last year, and took business outlook ratings into consideration. Ratings were based on a five-point scale, with “1” representing “dissatisfied,” a “3” representing “OK” and a “5” meaning “very satisfied.”
Data scientist received a 4.4 rating.
Coming in at number six is “group fitness instructor,” with a 4.2 rating, and a nod from Dru Sandy, who has been a full-time fitness instructor since 2005. Married for 12 years, she said her career at MetroFitness provides her the flexibility she desires with her husband — Steven Sandy — who is the executive chef at La Jolla.
“I can teach a couple of classes in the morning, and return home and spend a few hours together in the mid-morning,” she said. “In the service business, you have to be available to make a career out of it. My husband is in the restaurant business; it’s been like that ever since we’ve been together and we just make it work.”
Montgomery Fire District Chief Mark Williams, a firefighter of almost 18 years, understands. His profession was ranked ninth on the Glassdoor list.
For the first 15 years of his career in Montgomery, he worked 24 hours straight, and then was off for 48 straight hours. During that time, he would have to add on more hours if the department was short-handed. But the trade-off was the time he spent with his family. The downside? If one of his children had a birthday fall within the 24-hour work shift, he missed it.
“You have to arrange your lifestyle,” Williams said. “You may have to work the day of your son’s birthday, so you can throw the party the day before. Or, there’s the flexibility to swap out shifts. But there’s a sacrifice on both ends from you and your family.
“Schools don’t make their schedule around your schedule. You may be working around that field trip, or that ballgame. We have so many firefighters here in Montgomery, that you’re allowed to swap shifts.”
The United States ranks 28th out of 36 countries with the best work-life balance, according to the OECD Better Life Index. Denmark was No. 1, and Canada, New Zealand, Brazil and most European countries all outrank the U.S.
About 11 percent of Americans reported working more than 50 hours per week, which the index considers “very long hours.” In Denmark, the country with the best work-life balance rating, only 2 percent of workers put in this many hours on the job.
Back in Montgomery, Sandy has seen parents schedule their availability to instruct fitness classes around school schedules.
“I choose to teach early morning because that works with my schedule,” she said. “Others choose later morning so they can drop their kids off at school. As far as night time (classes), we don’t get many teachers who have kids. It depends on the stage of your life you’re in.”
But she admits it is a nice balance, giving Sandy stability. Before working in the fitness industry full-time, she worked as a personal assistant, and instructed fitness classes at night and on the weekends.
“It gave me more stability, and it became more flexible at the same time,” she said of when she began instructing full time. I don’t think this job is for everyone. I think you really have to love it.”
After 15 years on the 24-hour shift, Williams, who is married with three children, has worked 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for the past three years.
“It has been a good difference,” he said. “Having a small child in the house, it has been a blessing. I haven’t missed any birthdays. I’ve been able to make school events. It’s a blessing.”
If Sandy had an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, she commented on the affect it would have on her marriage, saying: “I guess I’d have a lunch hour.
“I don’t know how I would go back to an 8 to 5 job at this point,” she said. “There are personal trainers who say they won’t train before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. You might miss out on flexibility, but that’s part of it.”
Create work-life balance
–Learn your employer’s policies: Inquire about your company’s policies on flextime and working from home.
–Communicate: If you won’t be available for certain hours during the day or weekend because you’re dealing with family issues, let your manager and colleagues know, and get their full support.
–Use technology to your advantage: Ban technology at certain times so that you can focus on your family or friends.
–Telecommute: You’ll be able to focus on work for long stretches at a time and use the extra hours to meet personal responsibilities.
–Learn to say “No:” When you stop doing things out of guilt, you’ll find more time to focus on the activities that truly bring you joy.
–Fight the guilt: Stop feeling guilty if you miss an occasional soccer game or bail on a colleague’s going-away party.
–Rethink your idea of “Clean:” Unmade beds or dusty moldings are not signs of failure.
–Protect your private time: If you don’t allow yourself pockets of personal time, you’ll become too burned out to fully appreciate any part of your life.
Source: forbes.com
Top ten Jobs for having a healthy work-life balance
1. Data scientist
2. SEO specialist
3. Tour guide
4. Lifeguard
5. Social media manager
6. Group fitness instructor
7. User experience designer
8. Corporate communications
9. Firefighter
10. Equity trader
-Glassdoor ___
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