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Volume 1 Number 10
April 1, 1996
Norman Bales, Editor
IMPORTANT NEWS
Norman has a new E-Mail address. Please send all E-Mail to :
nlbales@prysm.net
Welcome to our tenth newsletter. If you've been waiting to hear an answer from your E-Mail, we apologize. On March 6, our computers at the church office were infected with Michaelangelo's Virus. I doubt that I will ever forget Michaelangelo's birthday again. We had quite a time getting back on line and getting our data organized. Fortunately Vic already had a backlog of forthcoming newletters, so you kept hearing from us even though we couldn't respond. If your E Mail got lost in the shuffle, please write to us again and we'll respond.
IN THIS ISSUE
- BALANCING JOB AND FAMILY
- CURRENT TRENDS AFFECTING THE FAMILY
- Marijuana Use
- Children in the Family
- Faith Commitments.
BALANCING JOB AND FAMILY
by Norman Bales
Introduction
Economists worry about speculation that corporate America may be
falling behind other nations in products and services. This kind of thinking
may be threatening to American families as industry and business place ever
increasing demands on the time and energy of its workers.
DISCUSSION
I. Recent trends
A. The work week is increasing.
1. The average work week increased from 40.6 hours in
1973 to 46.6 hours in 1987.
2. The average work week for a professional person is 52
hours.
3. The average work week for a small business owner or a
corporate executive is 57 hours.
4. Many people in executive positions are actually
working 60 - 70 hour weeks. The only way to put in
those kinds of extra hours is to take time away from
the family.
B. At the same time, the average parent spends 40 per cent
less time with their children than they did 25 years ago.
C. What kind of effect does the changing work week have on
families?
II. Attitudes in corporate America
A. Top management believes we need to gain a competitive edge
in the world market in order to survive. This involves:
1. "Downsizing" the company, which means layoffs in order
to reduce payroll costs and expecting the work force
that remains to produce as much or more than the
company did with a larger work force.
2. Corporate America is basically insensitive to the
needs of family.
Fortune magazine interviewed the top CEOs and summed up
their response this way. "Stop whining and get back to
work.
You ain't seen nothin' yet." They believe management
will have to push even harder to keep up with global
competition.
B. Young professionals are achievement focused, ambitious,
aggressive and energetic. As they enter management they
are "younger, tougher, leaner and meaner."
1. Many CEO's and management consultants are totally
indifferent to the situation.
2. David Ogilvy in Confessions of an Advertising Man
wrote,
"If you stay home and tend your gardens and children
I will love you more as a human being, but don't
expect to be the first person promoted in your group."
3. Tom Peters and Nancy Austin, (Management consultants)
describe those who have risen to the top. They have
"...given up family vacations, Little League games,
birthday dinners, evenings, weekends, lunch hours,
gardening, reading, movies and most other past times."
They frankly admitted, "We have a number of friends
whose marriages or partnerships crumbled under the
weight of their devotion to a dream."
4. In light of these attitudes, what is your prognosis
for the American family?
III. What effect do these kind of job stresses have on people?
A. Their health (both mental and physical). Nervous
breakdowns are not unusual. Top management people are
high risks for coronary
disease.
There is even some evidence which would suggest that a high
degree of stress may induce cancer. Drinking problems are
common.
B. Their enthusiasm for the job. "Burnout" is a word which
entered our vocabulary in the seventies and has become
increasingly commonplace in the work force. Strangely
enough management never seems to get the message. They
throw away burned out managers and supervisors like they
throw away gum when all the sweetness is gone. The focus
is often on short term performance and they figure there's
always somebody else waiting in the wings when an
overworked employee "flames out."
C. Their loyalty to the company.
D. Their relationship to God.
IV. Solutions to balancing job and family.
A. How should a family go about deciding how to deal with the
problem of balancing family and work?
B. How can you approach an employer who may not appreciate your
commitment to "seek the kingdom of God and his
righteousness" as your first priority? A friend of mine
asked for three hours off from work in order that he might
be able to attend a graduation party for his oldest
daughter. He received a note from his superior stating
that his boss was very disappointed in his request. He
pointed out that a person in his position has to make some
sacrifice for the good of the company. He told him to go
ahead, but not to expect that he could make a habit of
doing this sort of thing. My friend responded in kind
with a note of his own, pointing out the undeniable fact
that others in his position had been granted time off in
similar situations. He also pointed out that he had done
volunteer public relations work for the company on his own
time when he really didn't
have to and he suggested that he would abide by his
employer's request, but in the future he would give no
volunteer time. This man happened to be a valued employee
whose contribution was obvious to all concerned. The
superior in question wrote a second note and apologized for
overreacting to his request. Had my friend not been willing
to stick his neck out and risk the note, he might have been
further intimidated by his employer. In truth the person
making the demand was probably a family man, and probably
realized that he would not want to live by the standards he
was imposing on my friends. In this case he was dealing
with a person who had respect for family values.
C. How can you compete with the "eager beavers" at work who
are not yet old enough to have family responsibilities?
D. How are other people in the work force dealing with the
problem of balancing family responsibility and work time?
E. Is there any way to sensitize corporate management to the
importance of maintaining family values?
F. Is it possible to commit yourself to excellence at work and
family values at the same time?
G. What strategies would you suggest for the Christian family
given the current state of things in the work place?
CONCLUSION
According to a survey conducted by the Massachusetts Mutual Insurance
Company, Americans believe "parents having less time to spend with their
families" is the single most important reason for the family's decline in society. While it
may be true that abandoning family responsibilities can produce some short range benefits
for the business community, human beings can only take so much. At some point
in the future the erosion of family values could well have a detrimental and
irreversible effect upon the business community. Thus for the sake of both business and
the family, we need to protect the interests of the family
CURRENT TRENDS AFFECTING THE FAMILY
MARIJUANA USE. The University of Chicago recently reported the
results of a sampling of more than 1700 youths which indicated that an increased
level of first time marijuana use and an elevated level of frequency of use
among those who have previously tried it is being experienced by teenagers in
single parent families and in stepparent homes. (Source: "The Family in America"
- New Research 2-96)
CHILDREN IN MARRIAGE. A study project conducted by McGill
University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that childless
parents are 15 percent more likely to divorce than those who raise children. If
children are present before marriage, there is a fifty per cent greater
likelihood that divorce will occur (ibid)
FAITH COMMITMENTS. According to "USA Today" (2-5-96) the divorce
rate among those who attend church less than once a year is 34 per cent.
Among those who attend once to several times a year, the divorce rate is
27 per cent. Among those who attend church monthly or more often, the divorce
rate drops to 18 percent.
NEXT WEEK'S FEATURE ARTICLE: "TEACHING VALUES TO CHILDREN"
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