MANAGING MULTIPLE ROLESCHAPTER 13

OBJECTIVES

• ANALYZE THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF ROLE CONFLICT.

• EXPLAIN THE NEED FOR BALANCE AS YOU MANAGE MULTIPLE ROLES.

• ANALYZE STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING BALANCE IN LIFE.

• DESCRIBE SUPPORT SYSTEMS THAT HELP FAMILIES MANAGE MULTIPLE ROLES.

• DISCUSS FAMILY-FRIENDLY WORKPLACE POLICIES.

KEY TERMS

• ROLE CONFLICT

• PERSONAL BOUNDARIES

• SUPPORT SYSTEM

• FLEXTIME

• JOB SHARING

• TELECOMMUTE

WRITING PROMPT

• LIST AND DESCRIBE THE VARIOUS ROLES THAT YOU HAVE IN LIFE. WHICH DO YOU ENJOY THE MOST? WHICH DO YOU ENJOY THE LEAST?

CHALLENGES OF MULTIPLE ROLES

• YOU WILL HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT ROLES AT THE SAME TIME. STUDENT/TEAMMATE/SON OR DAUGHTER/CO-WORKER ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

• SOMETIMES THEY DO NOT ALWAYS AGREE WITH EACH OTHER.

• ROLE CONFLICT – WHEN ONE ROLE HAS A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE IMPACT ON ANOTHER ROLE.

THE IMPACT

• INTERNAL EFFECTS – STRESS

• INTERPERSONAL EFFECTS – EFFECTS ON RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS

• EXTERNAL EFFECTS – KEEP YOU FROM PARTICIPATING IN ACTIVITIES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU

ADDING TO THE CHALLENGE

• DIFFICULT SITUATIONS – ERRATIC WORK SCHEDULE, MULTIPLE JOBS, CARING FOR AN ILL RELATIVE, OR AN EXTENDED ILLNESS

• UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS – COLLEGE STUDENT WORKING LONG HOURS AND STILL GRADUATE EARLY. NEW PARENTS WITH LITTLE SLEEP SHOULD NOT EXPECT TO KEEP THEIR HOUSE SPOTLESS.

• OVERCOMMITMENT – AGREEING TO MORE OBLIGATIONS THAT YOU CAN HANDLE.

ACHIEVING BALANCE

• SETTING PRIORITIES – WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU! WHAT ARE YOUR VALUES AND BELIEFS?

• CHANGING PRIORITIES – AS YOU GROW OLDER, YOUR PRIORITIES WILL CHANGE.

• SETTING BOUNDARIES – LIMITS YOU SET FOR YOURSELF BASED ON YOUR VALUES AND PRIORITIES. ASK YOURSELF IF IT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU AND IF YOU HAVE ROOM FOR IT RIGHT NOW.

ACHIEVING BALANCE

• MANAGING TIME – LOOK BACK TO CHAPTER 7

• REDUCING STRESS – LOOK BACK TO CHAPTER 2

DEVELOPING SUPPORT SYSTEMS

• AT HOME – EXTENDED FAMILY, GOOD COMMUNICATION

• AT WORK –

• FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICIES

• FLEXIBLE WORK HOURS (FLEXTIME)

• COMPRESSED SCHEDULES

• ON-SITE CHILD CARE

• JOB SHARING

• TELECOMMUTING

• FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE