Today's executives are learning that taking more time off from work for family togetherness and parenting chores leads to more, not less, productivity and satisfaction.

No one denies that holding onto a job, or a company, in today's competitive climate requires massive amounts of time and effort. But you're not alone if you feel a steady, nagging sensation that you're missing a lot of the important interactions you should be having at home with your family.

The issue of balancing work and family time is far more prevalent than anyone admits. At least a third of the respondents to recent surveys, for example, say they would change jobs to get a better work/family balance, and that finding a good balance is a high priority in their selection of jobs. But such feelings are not often talked about openly, particularly by men.

Among the thousands of executives who have successfully redressed the balance between their work and family responsibilities, it's common to hear that they began the change when they noticed their children no longer responded to them, or they were no longer living the life they wanted.

But generic unhappiness in your present situation is probably not enough to prompt an improvement if you also feel powerless to change because the demands of work are too great, or because you are unwilling to pull back from responsibilities or cut down on the "face time" you give to the office.

In fact, some who complain the loudest about being locked into their job responsibilities secretly enjoy the rush of adrenaline generated when pressure to perform mounts up. Most executives, who now feel better about their family/work balance, counsel that "things don't change until you feel enough pain."

But more and more business leaders are recognizing that too much work can create personal problems in the lives of subordinates which can easily bounce back, to harm on-the-job productivity and effectiveness.

So, if you're feeling an imbalance between work and family pressures, what can you do about it? Long-term, a good response is to work at the structural factors that create the imbalance: organisational policies, life-style choices, even day-to-day job activities.

In the short-term, you can shift the balance more toward your family by using tried-and-true time management techniques, such as:

• Concentrating on top-priority responsibilities, delegating more often.
• Avoiding time-wasting meetings and phone calls, limiting out-of-town travel and intentionally giving a higher priority to family activities, events and responsibilities.
• You can also mark your family responsibilities on your calendar and treat them like important appointments.
• Use your executive ability to plan your day so you have enough time to experience your children and enjoy the fruits of your labour.
• One good trick is simply to take an afternoon off and see how well the organisation survives without you. Chances are, things will go fairly well. Over several months, this can give you the confidence to systematically spend a little less time in the office, leaving more time and energy for family matters.

Practical Signs

• You can't attend to child-care emergencies.
• You rarely see your family any more.
• You can't accommodate family responsibilities that are important to you.
• Your spouse gives you an ultimatum.
• You feel tired when you wake up, and rarely relish another day of work.

Emotional Signs

• Your life is not working the way you want it to.
• You feel you are working too hard for too little reward.
• You're emotionally drained at the end of the day.
• You're in a bad humor too often, or you feel resentment toward your job or your responsibilities.
• You suddenly notice you haven't enjoyed yourself for a long time, or you can't forget a dream where your life is wildly out of kilter.
• In extreme cases, you may get migraine, rashes, or other stress-related illnesses, which are surely not what life's about!

Benefits Of Balance

• What you get from favouring family time actually runs contrary to traditional dogma.
• Policies of letting people access quality time at home are rarely abused, and in fact may be very cost-effective.
• Employees generally express a much higher level of loyalty if the company respects the need to balance work and family pressures.
• In fact, a Families and Work Institute study found that offering parental leave is about 80 per cent cheaper than not offering it. Particularly, when it comes to counting direct costs, productivity changes, and training.

Solutions

• Dr. B S Nair (36) General Manager-Medical Services, Duphar-Interfran Ltd., is very positive about a balanced work and family life. He feels that maintaining a balance at home not only helps one to be a good professional but also a complete person. Says Dr. Nair, "Coming home to your family helps to let out your professional stress and moreover its something different. Moreover, whenever I have to travel, I ensure that they are scheduled on week days so that I am back home for the weekend."
• Sangita Wadhwani (28)-Feature Editor of Elle magazine, says, "You try and make time on Sunday nights, which you spend watching television with your family. Sometimes, I try merging both, for example if I have to attend a classical concert I see if my parents can attend it too." Holidaying with your family is another solution. "You tend to be in touch with your immediate family , as well as your cousins and other relatives."
• Deepak Rao, (45) Chief Executive - Aries Advertising and Publicity, feels that the whole thing about being overstressed is over hyped - "It never exists on a continuous basis." Talking about himself he says, "I am an intelligent workaholic, I am not in the rat race and I enjoy my quality of life."
• Rupa Randive, (33) Personnel Manager-Tata Donnelley feels that, "It is very difficult to maintain a balance between one's professional and family life. It also depends on your relationship with your spouse, as to how compatible you are about each other's professional lives," says Randive.
• Vismay Sharma, (28) Product Manager-L'Oreal Professional, says his work schedule and a long drive home gives him very less energy and time to socialize. "The feeling of discontent every evening, when you reach home makes you realise how unbalanced life can be and the ideal solution would be taking vacations intermittently.
• Pradeep Nair, (32) Senior Manager-HRD, Kores (India) Ltd. says, "When I am at home I forget my professional life and when I am at the office I forget my family life." According to him, any levelheaded person can manage a balance if he prioritizes, what needs more attention.
• Arnold Britto, (26) Business Development Manager, ISC, Consultancy Services says, "Never (work) on a Sunday!"