Good Fences Make Good Neighbors:Work-Life Balance in Research Administration
Presenters
0 Brigette Pfister, MHRD, CRA0 Director of Sponsored Programs for Humanities & Sciences at
Virginia Commonwealth University0 [email protected], 804-827-1359
0 Trisha Southergill, MPA, CRA0 Director of Grant Support Services at Clemson University0 [email protected], 864-656-6208
0 Jennifer Shambrook, PhD0 Director, Grant & Contract Management Office at St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital0 [email protected], 901-595-6017
Today’s Agenda
0 The Current State of Affairs
0 Where Do We Want to Go?
0 Strategies to Get There0 Q&A
The Current State of Affairs
0 High Stress0 Poor Health Habits0 Overwork
0 Doing More with Less?0 Burnout
Perceived Work Stress Survey
1. Feel you had too much stress at work?2. Get upset over something unexpected?3. Have to deal with irritating hassles?4. Have to deal with stressful events at work?5. Have to deal with ongoing problems that never
seem to go away?
5
In the last month how often did you:
PWSS Results
126
625
333
Level of Perceived Work Stress
LowNormalHigh
6
(N = 1,084)
7
Stress Vulnerability and PWS
High Demand Low Control Job Strain Effort Reward Imbalance
Family Work Conflict
Work Family Conflict
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Od
ds
Rat
io o
f Hig
h P
WS
8
Stress Resiliency Factors and Low PWS
Exercise
*
Sleep**
Optimism
**
Social S
upport Superv
isor*
*
Social S
upport Peers
**
Social S
upport Oth
ers**
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Odd
s R
atio
of L
ow
PW
S
9
Health Behaviors & Perceived Work Stress
Smokin
g
Alcohol
Fruit
& Veg
Exercise
Weight
Choles-t...
Pap Check
Mam
mo.
Colon Test
Work
SickSleep
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
Od
ds
rati
o fo
r n
egat
ive
hea
lth
beh
avio
r
Is it getting any better?
Factors from 2007 & 2010 RASPerS
Estimated Response Rate
P-value
95% CI
2007 2010
Perceived level of stress extremely
high
0.162 0.226 0.0014 (0.025, 0.101)
Adequate resources to work 40
hour work-week
0.292 0.245 0.032 (-0.092, -0.004)
Work/family life balance
difficulties
0.450 0.569 <0.0001 (0.069, 0.169)
Workplace presenteeism (working
when sick)
0.393 0.648 <0.0001 (0.206, 0.302)
Feel highly appreciated and
respected at work
0.033 0.142 <0.0001 (0.083, 0.135)
Where Do We Want To Go?
0 Realistic Expectations 0 8-hour work day?
0 Stress Reduction0 Improved Health0 Home Life:
0 We’d Like To Have One!
0 Healthy Boundaries 0 Successful Performance
at Work0 Improved Relationships
Where Do We Want To Go?
Strategies to Get There
0 Stress Reduction0 Taking Care of Yourself0 Problem Solving0 Staying Organized
Stress Reduction
0 Take a minute to reset0 “walk to the ice machine” or just have a moment of silence
0 Keep soothing triggers in your office0Family photos, hot tea, music, a knitting basket.. Whatever
it takes!
0 Exercise!0 Vent
0 ..but not too much – no one wants a Debbie Downer!
Taking Care of Yourself
0 If you have a long commute: tune out travel and listen to audiobooks or music you find relaxing
0Eat Breakfast0Eat Lunch
0 While at lunch – take a 1 hour vacation from work. No email! Having a real break will help you be re-charged for the afternoon.
0Get sleep – we all know being rested (8 hours of sleep) will make you more productive (and alert!) for the following day.
Problem Solving
0 PRO Method of response to common problems:
0 Proactivity
0 Reactivity
0 Operationality
Problem Solving
0 Proactivity: long term problem solving0Organize!
0 Reactivity: short term, immediate reaction0Plan ahead whenever you can 0Learn to anticipate problems
0 Operationality: servicing relationships and finding the learning moment0Checklists and Job Aids0Know who to call
Staying Organized
0 Find a system that works for you0 Electronic (Outlook, MS Project, ImageNow)0 Paper (Franklin Covey, the good old fashioned legal pad)
0 Daily Task Lists0 Prioritize: Urgent, Important, or “Would Be Nice to Get
to It”0 Organize your calendar and set reminders0 Be Consistent– Standard Operating Procedures are
really helpful
More Strategies
0 Planning and Workload Management
0 Dealing With Endless Piles of Paper
0 Streamline Decision Points
0 Healthy Boundaries
Remember the 6 Ps:
0 Prior and Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance0 Needs Analysis
0Who is on my team? Are the right people in the right positions? Where do unrealistic expectations exist?
0 Get Buy-In From Leadership0Do your homework. Be prepared to explain how change
benefits the institution as a whole.0 Establish Procedures
0This way everyone knows what to do in a given situation (or at least where to go to find out!)
0Ensures consistency of practice
Workload Management
0 Don’t Overbook Yourself!0 Pad your calendar to allow for travel time, bathroom
breaks, and sanity checks0 Make Commitments Carefully
0 Let Others Deal With Their Own Stuff0 Do One Thing at a Time0 Manage Expectations
0 Remember, it’s called the extra mile for a reason!
Dealing With Endless Piles of Paper
0 Clutter = Unmade Decisions0 Procrastination = Fear0 Put Things Away Every Day0 Four Things You Can Do With A Piece of Paper:
0 Take Action on it0 Give it to someone else0 File it away for later (but only if you are going to need it)0 Throw it out!
Streamline Your Decision Points
0 Save your brain power for the big stuff!
0 Never Reinvent the Wheel
0 Eliminate frivolous decision points in your day
Healthy Boundaries
0 You are the CEO of your life. You are in control.
0 It is OK to say “No”0 It is OK to take care of
yourself0 It is OK to be honest
about what you can and can’t do
What Happens When You Set Boundaries?
Short Term Long Term
0 Pushback0 Naysaying0 Fear0 ..but your needs
start getting met0 Your concerns start
being heard
0 Respect0 Understanding0 Appropriate
Consequences0 Improved
Relationships
Benefits of Boundaries
0 Less Stress0 Improved Relationships0 Better Health0 Higher Morale0 Better Work
Performance0 And Many More!
Questions?(Now’s your chance!)
Presenters
0 Brigette Pfister, MHRD, CRA0 Director of Sponsored Programs for Humanities & Sciences at
Virginia Commonwealth University0 [email protected], 804-827-1359
0 Trisha Southergill, MPA, CRA0 Director of Grant Support Services at Clemson University0 [email protected], 864-656-6208
0 Jennifer Shambrook, PhD0 Director, Grant & Contract Management Office at St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital0 [email protected], 901-595-6017
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors:Work-Life Balance in Research Administration
Thank You!
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