'I'm young how do I balance work and life?'

'HOW CAN YOUNG MANAGERS ENSURE WORK-LIFE BALANCE?'Q: I am a B.Tech passout working in the marketing department of a spice trading company. At the beginning of my career, the task was pretty simple. Now, as I am flooded with assignments, I find it difficult to manage my time well. I worked throughout the holiday season. Though I live near a beach, I can’t find time to take a walk over there, thanks to my hectic work. When I tell my seniors about the lack of ‘me-time’, all I get from them is a condescending smile. I am told the first two years in one’s career are extremely stressful and that one has to put in an extra effort to deliver a great performance. Is that the only way to success?Unmesh Pawar: Working professionals would have experienced a similar dilemma at some point in time in their career. If you observe or read about individuals who have achieved professional success, you may realise that apart from their skill sets, it’s their passion and time-management that helps them meet their goals. Work-life balance is nothing but prioritising between your career and personal life, which one learns over time.You’ve mentioned being assigned more jobs now than your initial days, which is a good space to be in at your stage in career. It only means that your organisation has faith in your abilities and values your contribution. However, to be productive and perform consistently, it’s important that you enjoy your work and avoid getting stressed out. Sharing some tips that may help.Talk to your manager and set expectations: Having a candid conversation with your manager would help you understand your current workload and mutually agree on your key responsibility areas. This would benefit in managing your time better and channelising your efforts productively. Share weekly or daily updates, depending on the project complexity, with your manager so he/ she is aware of the status of your deliverables. It may be a good idea to schedule these conversations at regular intervals.Prepare a to-do list: Before you begin your day, list the top 5 things that need to be addressed. Be realistic when you list these down.Track your time: Once you prioritise, check how much time do you spend on things that don’t align with your agenda. Reorganise those for a later date, or if they can be completely done away with, eliminate them from your daily routine.Minimise distractions: If you could identify some of the distractions around you and eliminate them, it would help you to manage your time more efficiently.Schedule ‘me-time': Ensure to set aside time for yourself and do things that you enjoy. An important work commitment gets rescheduled only if there’s an emergency. Respect your private time in a similar way.Vacations are equally important. All of us need time to recharge our batteries to perform consistently and productively. Make sure you plan your vacations and inform your manager in advance so work commitments can be managed. An out-of-office email can also be an effective way to reduce any incoming workload while you’re on vacation. Also, to reduce the chance of any interruptions, you’ll need to make sure your out-of-office message points people in the right direction.Hard work and perseverance are a prerequisite for any individual looking to excel. The first two years at work are crucial for employees looking to establish themselves in their profession. The formative years help you find your bearings and are full of learnings. There are also years, which will present you with opportunities to showcase your talent and mettle as a professional, so welcome these opportunities.In addition to the tips suggested, to ensure that you have a good work-life balance, prioritising your commitments, managing expectations and aspirations are vital. Seek support from your manager, colleagues, family and anyone else in your ecosystem, who may be able to understand and support you achieve the required balanceUnmesh Pawar is partner and head – people, performance & the culture at KPMG in India‘NO INDUCTION, YET BOSS EXPECTS ME TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING’ medium73933159Q: I recently joined a company in a role that is completely different from the one I previously handled. There was no induction as my boss said he didn’t believe in orientation and that I should learn on the job. While this didn’t seem like a bad idea at first, it has become a nightmare now. Every small error I make invites a round of yelling from the boss. He’s even said that he’s disappointed in recruiting me — this is when I have barely completed a month and a half in this role. The series of insults are followed with taunts, passive-aggressive behaviour and tense silence through the rest of the day. This is witnessed by most of the other employees on the floor. I have tried talking to him to understand his expectations. Things are alright for a couple of days, and then it’s back to square one. I am very anxious about this. Please help.Sujaya Banerjee: This is a classic dilemma many face, especially when seeking ‘jobs’ rather than ‘careers’. While nothing can condone the behaviour of your manager, it is important for you to understand the provocation for it:What made you accept this offer?: Have you done a similar job before or is this a role you are attempting for the first time? Even if you had a similar role in a similar industry, each company has its own processes, systems, managerial styles and what is expected in the execution rhythm, that qualifies as ‘good performance’.Not having a head-start with an orientation programme is a deterrent to settling into the job. Most organisations undermine the power of this opportunity to coach new hires. Employees must insist on this support at the time of joining new assignments to ensure they are not left navigating the system on their own.Your manager’s view of not believing in handovers or inductions is shared by many, but this can lead to early losses rather than wins. However, in this case, you have agreed to sign up for such an arrangement. Now the onus is on you to fix it: Seek clarity on your role and expectations: Ask questions rather than agree to deliver something you have not understood completely. Also, let your manager know of the progress you are making and communicate this through all steps of execution.Seek peer/team coaching on the ‘hows’ of performance standards rather than only the ‘whats’Build relationships to succeed: Make the move first and demonstrate the ability to get along and influence people across levels so they want to participate in your success.Your own personal effectiveness is key: Take notes when you get briefed and maintain a to-do list and don't repeat mistakes Here’s what you can do:1) Reflect on your strengths/capabilities for this role and list what all you are struggling with. List what has gone well so far and what has not — be honest with yourself — and whether this role plays to your strengths or is it a set-up to fail syndrome? Is this just a job for you or do you have the skills to succeed/and the will to learn the organisation’s way of doing things? Many of us see our careers in the trial and error mode and can join news assignments for all the wrong reasons.2) If you believe this is the job/role for you and this is the company you want to build your ‘career’ with, then ask for an hour’s time with your manager. Tell him all that you are struggling with what his ‘fear management style’ is doing to your motivation to learn and contribute. Also, show him evidence of ‘what has gone right’ so he sees things in perspective. Seek out new norms of working together and promise to work around his expectations. Also, let him know clearly that his style doesn’t work for you to improve. Instead, it clouds your thinking and makes you repeat rather than improve mistakes. Gauge how far he is willing to meet you to change/improve things.3) If your introspection does not yield results, revisit your job. Cut your losses. It’s better to learn from this adversity rather than stay on to further annoy your frustrated manager and lose your reputation as a performer.Sujaya Banerjee is CEO, Capstone People Consulting. She has 29 years of experience in leading people in organisations like British Gas, Essar Group, Godrej and Lowe Lintas & Partners'HOW CAN I ASK SENIOR-MOST EMPLOYEE TO BE PUNCTUAL?’ medium73933124Q: I have been running a well-established proprietorship engineering company for 22 years. I am 65 years old and want to retire. My 35-year-old son, who is well qualified, has been made the CEO of the company. We are facing an issue involving our senior-most employee, who has been with the company for 10 years. He comes late to office by two hours and gives excuses, ranging from official to personal. Consequently, the company is losing several productive hours. He is paid well. How can we ensure punctuality by this senior staffer?Prabhir Jha: This is a piquant situation — 10 years is a long time for errant behaviour to have been tolerated. Moreover, the excuses appear well practised and equally well accepted. You have not shared what time he leaves and how much work is impacted. Hence, it seems quite misplaced to suddenly get paranoid about it.Be that as it may, behaviour that may have been alright to live with in the past is open to review and repudiation. With a change in top leadership, there is an opportunity to usher in a new culture. Contrary to popular belief, culture must never be deemed static. There is nothing like a good or bad culture. Is your culture and leadership behaviour strategically aligned to your extant strategy? Also, does this behaviour have a cascading effect? And has this senior person’s utility itself come under a cloud? Is he a blocker to better talent? Is this just an individual problem for you or symptomatic of a deeper malaise?Under these circumstances, here are some possibilities to look at:Have a straight, honest conversation: Leverage the many years of your working together to share with him the changing reality as you move out. Punctuality is one such thing. Admit that you have allowed things to drift all these years, but your son is clear this must end. And he is the new boss. Maybe this gentleman is a night owl. But now that the licence to come late will be withdrawn, he must choose between giving up an old habit or moving on. And if he picks the former, then the punctuality must start right away. If not, he should prepare to leave. And do it with the honour and grace any senior exit deserves.Ask the new CEO to reach out to him: It is not always easy for someone in a long-tenured relationship to have a difficult conversation. As your son is the new CEO, he has the prerogative and the responsibility to set a new code of conduct. It may seem fair for him to acknowledge the contribution of this senior leader. But make it clear that this delayed arrival every day does not work with him in the new culture he wants to drive. Your son must listen to the explanation given by the senior staffer. If the explanation is not satisfactory, a clear expectation must come from the new CEO. And if the person agrees, help him get to a new pattern of behaviour over the next four weeks. Or, let him know that if this doesn’t happen within this period, he will need to part ways. And you must specifically state that you will not intervene in the way things will be run hereon. This is crucial, otherwise different management styles and old relationships often run a company aground in phases of generational transitions.De-risk your team and organisation design: Even as the difficult conversations happen, whether by you or your son, evaluate how critical the person or his role is to your company. Many old tenured people become banyan trees, not allowing talent below them to blossom. Is it the case here? Is there someone who can step into this senior’s shoes? If not, maybe it is not a bad idea to meet talent from the outside who can be both better for outcomes and a new desired culture. This will actually help you move beyond the ghost of someone who has always been around. And realise that it was something you could have done much earlier.Articulate clearly the new cultural norms: Use this transition to articulate specific leadership behaviour expected in the company, irrespective of your conversation with him. What elements of culture are going to be sacrosanct in the new world? Share specific examples of behaviour that are not going to be tolerated.Equally, what are the new dimensions of behaviour that will be celebrated? Communicate widely. And reorganise all your HR sub-systems to enable these shifts to happen. These will be tough, but you must do it in full. Hiring, promotions, talent bets, rewards and recognition — everything must consistently support new behaviour. This will help people know clearly their expectations. Some may choose to leave on their own, which is fine. Some may need to be eased out, which will need top leadership commitment.In sum, your intransigence of a decade has created this problem. Solve it beyond a mere person. Strategically rearchitect your company and its ecosystem, in spite of the near-term hiccups. My belief is you would have then bequeathed to your son a workplace more robust and forward-looking than what it appears today..Prabir Jha is the founder & CEO of Prabir Jha People Advisory. He has led HR teams at Cipla, Reliance Industries, Tata Motors & Dr Reddy’s Laboratories‘I FEEL HUMILIATED AS 'REMOTE BOSS' SNAPS AT ME. WHAT CAN I DO?’ medium74208105 Q: I joined the ‘learning and development’ (L&D) department at a firm in Gurgaon, reporting to a woman boss who operated from Mumbai. In the beginning, she came across as an affable person. But later she appeared confused and directionless. Whenever I connected with her, she snapped at me. I am not used to such a work environment. Whenever I tried letting her know that I was not comfortable with her attitude, she was either evasive or easily worked up. She fails to give clear instructions and yells at me. I feel humiliated. I have taken up the issue with the HR department without much success. It has become difficult for me to work with her. How can I handle the situation?S Ramesh Shankar: In life, we cannot choose our parents and our boss. They choose us. Having said that, I can empathise with you and your position today. The good thing is that you have clearly defined your problem. The next good thing is that you work in the L&D function, which facilitates learning and development of all employees in the organisation. They create an environment where learning is fun, and development becomes a natural outcome. As an L&D professional, you would have a good understanding of the psychology of human beings. In this virtual world, working with remote managers and teams is a reality. One thing you must remember in such a complex situation is that it is easier to change your behaviour than that of others. While your boss’s attitude may appear difficult and even irritating at times, it is futile for you to attempt to change it. On the other hand, if you try to reposition yourself, it may help in understanding the situation better and accordingly strategising your responses to her. I would recommend the following steps for you to consider: a: Understand the root cause of her behaviour by asking her exploratory questions.b: Adapt your style of response to make her comfortable and secure.c: Try to work out ways and means of communication which are mutually acceptable and easy to implement. This could be like a fixed weekly review of targets and accomplishments. A monthly report of what’s going well and what could be done better, listing areas where you need her support.d: Most importantly, recognise your boss’s strengths and appreciate her for her contributions to your success. You will be surprised at her transformation when you reposition your responses based on her strengths rather than her areas of improvement. All of us have strengths and they are generally less recognised and appreciated. In our work environment, we tend to focus more on our weaknesses and that of others. It is time for you to put the clock upside down and experience a positive difference. It is like looking at a glass half full rather than half empty.Another strategy worth considering is to focus on innovating and trying out new things on your own. In this initiative, you need to work on your shortcomings more than worrying about her. In fact, she may be surprised at your ingenuity and courage to try out new things. One of the best Ways I have learnt to enjoy my job, even in a difficult or boring work environment, is to try out one new thing every day or a week as time permits.I am sure you will reflect and turn around this situation to your personal competitive advantage. It is sometimes good to have a difficult boss as it may help you to bring out the best in you. Wish you all the best.S Ramesh Shankar is chief joy officer at Hrishti. He has led HR teams in Siemens, ABB, Britannia, Eicher and SAILAdWise is a column that addresses workplace-related matters and appears every alternate Thursday in TOI. If you need assistance in resolving work issues, then write to us at adwise@timesgroup.com and let a panel of experts assist you.