Time. Is it something you have or something you make?

We all have a lot of things we need to do, people we need to support, tasks we need to complete, appointments to attend...and the list goes on.  So how do we make sure we do both what needs to be done and what we want to do?

Changing the way we look at time may hold the key to achieving this balance. Many of us tend to look at time as just something we have.  Simply put, there are twenty-four hours a day so we do our best to achieve what we can.

What if instead, we viewed time as something we have?  We could choose to look at time more like we do money and recognize we only have a finite amount so we need to consciously decide how to spend and invest it.

We all think twice before spending the last $20 bill we have on us.  We review prospectus documents and past performance metrics before buying stocks or mutual funds.  We get appraisals and home inspections before buying a house.  Yet we often go through our day doing what others tell us to do without a second thought.  We spend our time as if it isn't ours to control.

Time like money has restrictions.  There are those things in life we have to do with our time, much like the things we have to do with our money like pay taxes, buy food, and pay rent.  With money, we can choose our lifestyle which determines our expenses and subsequently our disposable income. Imagine if we looked at time the same way?

We can choose to invest a moment to list not only what we have to do but also what we want to do and allocate our time accordingly.  We can actively pay attention to how much time we give to the 'have to do list'.  Think of this list as akin to determining a down payment and mortgage payments for a new home.  Do we have to pay as much time upfront as we have been doing on what needs to be done or can we spend less today and spread out the rest of the needed time in smaller chunks so that we have left over time to spend elsewhere?  This discretionary time can be used to fund the things we love to do and to be with the people we love.  Time spent on what we want to do fuels our souls and energizes the spirit.

The return on investment on time when it is spent where we want to spend it is exponential.  It will add value to every part of our lives and to the lives of those we with whom we choose to spend it.

Recognize that time is something you make and spend yours wisely!

Leadership Rules

To enable the team at HR Blueprints to enjoy a more of the fall Diesel, the office Great Dane, offered to be the guest blogger and share his leadership advice with the pack. Here are his top 8 rules:

 (Editor's note - we recommend Diesel's rules be read allegorically not literally for humans.)

1. Wag your tail. Show others you love life and that you are happy to see them. Others will like being around you too and be more likely to follow you.

2. Sniff before you judge. Just because you think you know the other perspective and viewpoint doesn't mean you do. Take time to sniff out where others are coming from.

3. Play. Every good pack leader knows the importance of being able to play with the team as well as lead it. A pack needs to have fun to be cohesive. Go chase a ball with the pack!

4. Become an expert in body language. Know how to use and read body language to convey and understand emotion. Leaders need to demonstrate both high IQ and EQ.

5. Accept hierarchy. The only way to grow in a pack is to learn to keep the Alphas content. Unnecessarily challenging of authority will get you kicked out of the pack. Instead, work with the Alphas to create lasting change for the pack.

6. Curl your lip and show your teeth as a warning before you bite. Sometimes leaders have to fight to protect the pack. Before you take aggressive action make sure you have first given fair warning and provided a chance for the other side to retreat.

7. Move on after a scuffle. Everyone has a bad day. If someone snaps, it's ok to tell them you don't appreciate their behaviour but don't hold a grudge. Leaders forgive and give trust to get trust.

8. Take a walk outside every day. We all need to smell the flowers, feel the sunshine and run on the grass daily. Take a walk to clear your head and think about all of the great things in your life. Best of all, be sure to always take a friend on your walk!

Accommodating the Sandwich Generation

Many employees today face a tremendous amount of pressure for their time and energy both at home and at their place of work. One term used to describe this pressure is the "sandwich generation." These employees are balancing the need to provide care to their aging parents and their children while still performing at work. What does this mean for an employers need to accommodate? 

Like many other situations where changes and understanding are required, the key is communication. Providing alternative schedule solutions for employees struggling with home and work demands goes a long way. Often employees just want the opportunity to make choices so that they can still perform well at their job and meet the needs of their home life. Understandably, not all employers have the ability to provide a flexible schedule to employees. Some operations require a fixed schedule of service. 

So what can be done in these cases? There are always options. Consider that some experts estimate the cost of recruiting, replacing and training a new hire employee is anywhere between 93-200% of an employees annual salary. This makes it prudent for employers to work on retaining their employees as they transition through the stages of commitments in their lives. Showing an understanding of and compassion for employees will often lead to increased loyalty and engagement in their work. 

Accommodating employees is not only a compassionate choice or even a strategic organizational decision to ensure employee retention, to a certain extent, it is also the law. By not providing solutions to your employees, employers run the risk of discrimination claims based on family status. While the duty to accommodate falls on the employer, it is also the employee's responsibility to seek out solutions and be flexible themselves on what the employer can provide. The answer need not be perfect, merely reasonable based on the situation and the unique operational landscape of the business. While the solutions suggested may be appropriate for many, it is also valuable to consider seeking legal advice. An expert on human rights accommodation can provide further insight for employers.

Here are some suggestions for providing solutions to accommodate employees:

1) Consider allowing the employee to work remotely for a portion of their work week

2) Where possible, provide an alternate schedule. Perhaps an early or late start to their day.

3) Allow the employee to temporarily shift to a part-time schedule

4) Provide job sharing. This can be particularly beneficial when multiple employees are requesting flexibility.

5) Provide a resource. An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can provide information for employees such as finding child and elderly care support.

6) Above all communicate, communicate, communicate! Avoid making assumptions about what changes are needed for the employee. By speaking with the employee about their concerns, often a solution can be developed that meets the employee's needs while still respecting the operational goals of the business.