Develop strategies to manage and balance work and family roles.

Development should include

  • a time-management plan
  • goal setting
  • prioritization of family and work responsibilities
  • stress-management strategies
  • health and safety issues
  • communication skills (e.g., conflict resolution, assertiveness)
  • family and work values
  • stages of the family and career life cycle.

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

  • What is the relationship between the family’s circumstances and work productivity?
  • Why is it important to a person, to the family, and to the employer to balance work and family roles?
  • What factors should be considered when developing management strategies related to family? To the workplace?
  • What responsibility does an employer have for an employee's well-being at home?
  • When is it appropriate for an employer to intervene in an employee’s personal/family life?
  • What is the relationship of community activities and responsibilities to work and family roles?
  • How do management strategies for balancing work and family roles change as the family progresses through the life cycle?
  • What can one use to help manage time?
  • What techniques can be used to help manage stress?

Communication

  • When is it appropriate for an employee to communicate personal or family problems to an employer?
  • When is it appropriate for an employee to use available employer resources for communicating family issues?
  • What communication skills are needed to develop strategies for balancing work and family roles?
  • How can the importance of balancing work and family roles be communicated to others?

Leadership

  • What leadership skills can be used to address and resolve conflict regarding work and family roles?
  • What skills do family members need to become leaders?
  • What criteria should be used to assess the efforts of balancing work and family roles?

Management

  • What management strategies are needed to set priorities at work? At home?
  • What kind of training is needed to develop management strategies for balancing work and family roles?
  • What management skills are needed to deal with issues at different stages of the family life cycle?
  • How can setting priorities help with time management?