If I Knew Then What I Know Now…
Featured Guest Blogger April 27th, 2009
In 2008, Christina Barlowe founded LifeWork Alliance. Nearly two decades of professional corporate experience, coupled with an MBA and a Masters in Social Work, form the well-rounded skill set necessary to head the innovative organization that is LifeWork Alliance. This combination of extensive real world expertise with a comprehensive education results in a keen understanding of, and passion for, the needs of individual parents as well as the expectations of the organization. Christina has a four year old son who has reshaped her life and has been her source of inspiration. Please note that the views of our guest bloggers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sloan Work and Family Research Network.
When I was in college and even graduate school (the first time), I had great ideas about what my life would look like. The career, the husband, the kids, the house, the trips and then BAM !
And so it all came, not necessarily in that order. The only problem was integrating those parts of my life proved challenging, or more like close to impossible. Not only was I having trouble balancing it all, I was firmly planted in my new reality but not enjoying any part of the dream. My identity became compartmentalized for thw sake of self preservation as I was thrust either by choice or circumstance, into my various new roles of boss, employee, friend, mother, wife, daughter, professional, and student. Finally, the roller coaster came to a screeching halt after my son turned a year old. I was clueless where I was and how I got there. It was time for change but I had no idea how to navigate it and the definition of what I wanted changed daily.
This new reality is more prevalent today than ever. Women coming out of college have decisions to make in order to chart their course of establishing their careers and lives. If they are forward thinking, they are looking at how to integrate those careers into a future partnership, extended family unit, and possibly motherhood.
How do you know what form of work / life balance is right for you? Each person is unique and therefore each person’s needs are different. We can and should educate this next generation with our own road maps. You can stay on the main highway, take the scenic route, or make a detour either willingly or because life just has a way of doing that to you. Would it not be a critical part of their decision making as they construct the framework for their lives?
It is with this inspirational journey that LifeWork Alliance was formed. The organization was formed to address the paradigm shift that is reshaping today’s workforce. The mission is to institute and promote open dialogue between organizations and working parents. I found a distinct void in any such service or community for that matter when I was working my way up the proverbial ladder, and especially when I started my family. I was confused and stumbling, and when I asked for guidance the expectations of my performance were even more demanding now that I was a mother. Luckily, I used that transformation to create a community both online, in corporate settings, and in off-site workshops where people can not only express their challenge with adjusting to their new lives, but also gain valuable tools and insight. There is nothing more powerful than validation and mutual respect.
Wow! What an inspiration! It is so good to know that something like this is out there. I feel empowered to know I can be a mother, a friend, and a woman.
You are absolutely right about different people having different work-life balance needs. I believe we need workplaces which are willing to increase their flexibility on a more individualized basis instead of overearching regulations which do not fit the needs of every person. I do not believe that our current labor laws are able to support such a system since many of them were written in the 1930’s and have not been revised since. In order to bring our workplaces into the 21st century, the Family Policy Center at the National Center for Policy Analysis proposes increased flexibility in the workplace and flexible/portable benefit systems to fit the needs of those who cannot follow the traditional work pattern as easily. I believe that we need policies that work for Americans who work!