By Hilary Terrell, Associate Product Marketing Manager

This particular post was sparked by a recent BusinessWeek issue devoted to common challenges that all employees face in the workplace. One of the topics of the issue was the struggle of achieving a healthy work/life balance in today’s get-it-all-done-NOW business landscape, and BusinessWeek readers had some fantastic insight to offer. SuccessFactors is not immune to the challenges employees at any company face, so I turned to my fellow employees for insights of their own—they didn’t let me down. I posted the question on the Employee Directory, on our internal online directory bulletin board (a feature of Employee Profile that gets fantastic use here at SF) and was thrilled at the wide range of answers that were posted, from an equally wide range of employees in departments across the company. Thanks to all who shared their thoughts!

It is harder and harder to achieve balance in this 24/7 world we live in. I started my career when people wore suits in offices, there were ashtrays in those offices, and the PC had not been invented. It was easy to unplug and separate from work. My advice is to make plans (and keep them), set boundaries (and keep them), be VERY productive when you are working, be very relaxed when you are not working (don’t over schedule), and check in with yourself and your loved ones/friends frequently to stay balanced. Easier said than done, but nobody is going to do this for you! Good luck, enjoy life, work hard, all the best.
–Rob Adams, Director of Talent Enablement

Take advantage of your benefits and breathe! I’m not one to let my PTO [paid time off] time accumulate. Rather than saving up for long vacations, I tend to take mini-breaks throughout the year. This enables me to create space for myself to unwind regularly. I also mediate regularly. Meditation is an amazing way to let go of stress and negative energy. It helps me stay grounded and enables me to let go more easily when I do have down time.
–Tracy Gonzales, Training Consultant

I am fortunate that my current position enables me (for the most part) to leave work at work. That alone allows me to retain my own personal time outside of the office.
A hard run in the streets absorbing the sights and smells of the world as it passes by; a pleasant conversation with good company; and more importantly, plenty of laughter! For me it is simplicity, to stop and reflect on the simple things in life that is my “balance.” To embellish my life as I see fit is what keeps the day to day work load on a leash.
–Daniel Ash, Office Coordinator

Balance? its obsolete and that’s fine! The key is to really know your limits, accept it and be fully in the moment in whatever you do. Between work and life, one is constantly trying to edge the other one out, whichever comes ahead (it changes everyday) accept it and do full justice to it! Make a conscious choice and be happy with it!
–Anu Srikantan, Proposal Manager

A paradigm shift is required. The conflict of attention is where the action is required. At face value, your job will never forgive you, and your family will always forgive you, but this has a limitation and the results are pretty typical: resentment at home and lack of satisfaction with your job because of the ways it impacts your life. We all suffer from the same ill here. We’re either doing well at home or doing well at work, but seldom well at both.

What must be done is that you must demand that your employer forgive your choice of your family and your family must come first on many things. In the end, the employer must respect your choices and you must respect the results, but you cannot expect your family to forgive you indefinitely. Nothing will come without a sacrifice.

The devil is in the details there, but like any peace treaty, it will likely need to be revisited on an ongoing basis with some modifications as you have opportunity or need.
–Kevin Simpson, Project Manager

I think it’s great that our company has an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) where we can talk to counselors if we need someone to talk to about how to achieve better balance in our lives. I think people should definitely take advantage of that. Also, there’s a great article in the current issue of Fortune en titled “Get a life!” by Paul Keegan that’s a good read.
–Scott Yu, Principal Designer

Any my own approach? It’s new, actually. I recently adopted a fantastic dog, so I need to leave work at a reasonable hour each day to get home and take her for a walk. That helps me to have a stopping point at the end of the day and leave the office on time, and the ability to continue my work at home if needed, with a loving pup by my side. Who could ask for more!

How do YOU achieve work/life balance? Share a comment here on HappyFactors!