I learned long ago that a career in public relations means I rarely work only 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to business hours, I work when I’m needed, which could be 4:30 a.m. or 11:00 p.m. (usually not the same day, though.) It’s been a far cry from what workers experience in the European Union, where – except for the United Kingdom – employees may work only up to 48 hours per week. In France, the law allows a maximum 35-hour workweek.
Despite my strong work ethic – and I enjoy my work – I’m a little protective of certain times of the week, particularly Saturday mornings, reserved for my 6-year-old daughter. We play hide-and-seek, have tea parties, read books, color and paint, try a new board game or just talk. So when a vendor asked me recently if I would be free Saturday morning for a breakfast meeting, I politely declined. An emergency? No problem. But a meeting? I finally drew the line on work’s encroachment into family time.
Years ago, working “after hours” to me meant knocking off around 7:00 p.m., heading home and calling it a night. Eventually, companies started issuing cell phones and providing Internet access to connect home computers with those at work. I began working firing off emails before bed, editing reports on Sunday night and answering my cell phone during dinner dates with my wife. Throughout each week, I now attend working lunches and trade association dinners. It seems if I have a free hour, somebody at work wants to fill it. Sure enough, my vendor reasoned recently that because people are so busy during the week that she’d begin to tap into Saturday mornings. It seems the fine art of balancing work and family, which is in the best interest of the employee and employer, is still lost on some folks.
I work gladly and tirelessly for my company, but a father and husband has to draw the line somewhere. Consider me permanently booked on Saturday mornings.
