This post was automatically translated into English
Work is like a flowing river – it will never end, so all that remains is to learn to properly manage this flow so that it does not become a threat to your home, family, and relaxation.
Work is like a flowing river – it will never end, so we just have to learn to manage this flow properly so that it does not become a threat to our homes, family and recreation. This is what Martynas Žibūda, Development Director of the real estate company “Eika” says..
M.Žibūda talks about the qualities of a good and productive employee, the search for a balance between work and home, and quality leisure time.
It’s fashionable today to brag about working a lot, often overtime. Why do you think that is?
I think it is a feature of our society to brag about work. It is true that when comparing current and previous generations, the attitude towards work is changing. For example, for people of my parents’ or grandparents’ generation who lived during the Soviet era, work was their whole life. From a young age, they were taught that work was the only goal. And the current generation, especially the youth, sees the prosperity that previous generations created and ensured. Therefore, the attitude towards work is different. Young people realize themselves not only through work.
Sometimes people brag – I haven’t taken a vacation in three years. However, such talk is a red flag. If a person doesn’t take a vacation for more than a year, it’s already bad. The employee needs to move, “air out”. This is beneficial not only for the employee, but also for the company.
Where is the line between diligence, which we are proud of and which is considered an advantage of any employee, and workaholism?
I always say that a person who sits for a long time at work is responsible, but not necessarily a good employee. Overtime should not be encouraged. Of course, there are times when you are forced to spend a few extra hours at work – during annual meetings or preparing financial reports.
However, if work no longer brings pleasure to a person, he or she becomes trapped in a vicious cycle of work, one should be concerned. Someone should stop such a person. Say, “You are doing something wrong – let’s sit down, discuss how to get you out of that cycle, what we could change.” A good employee is one who knows how to work productively without losing love for their work. Such an employee is also most valued by managers, the opposite of those employees who have no free time and are devoted only to work.
Home and work – these are the places where a person spends most of their time during the day. How can these two things be balanced so that they don’t interfere with each other?
It is impossible to get all the work done. Work is a continuous process. Like a river that always flows. You cannot expect it to start and stop at some point – otherwise, there would simply be no need for employees, the company would close. What matters is how you react to that flowing flow, how you deal with it. Unfortunately, studies show that today even one in five (21%) Lithuanians has difficulty balancing work and home. This means that they cannot cope with the flowing flow of work.
In my opinion, you need to follow a regime with your home, just like with your work. If you use your working hours inefficiently, then you will return home with the same stress and difficulty. Your family will suffer, your rest will suffer, you will not want to get up in the morning and go to work. Then your work will suffer, which you will do unproductively and uncreatively. And so on every day. Of course, there are rare people who would close the office door and return home without any thoughts of work.
Photo by Martynas Žibūda
Do you have any personal method for finding a balance between work and home?
I’m not saying that I’m a role model. Finding balance is hard for me too. But today I’m kind of disciplined by the knowledge that I’ll have to pick up my child from kindergarten in the evening. If I don’t arrive on time, he’ll have to wait. It’s enough to arrive last of all the parents a few times to understand – this can’t be. In addition, you feel responsible for the kindergarten teacher, who also wants to get home on time, not to stay after working hours, because you “earned money”. Another method is to set a goal for yourself for the day. What must I do before lunch, what before two o’clock, and what – before the end of work. It’s important to stick to the plan.
I have a certain routine that helps me. For example, sports. After not exercising for a while, my legs start to “itch”, I want movement, physical activity. Meetings with friends, trips to nature and personal matters also help me, the list of which I have also made, just like work. These “matters” can be rest hours, time for a book or helping children with homework for school. Of course, vacations are the best way to relax. Just planning them is motivating.
How do you encourage your employees to find a balance between work and home?
You can brag about being a workaholic, but a person who works a lot will get tired, start grumbling, demotivate the team, and harm the company. To prevent this from happening, I encourage employees to plan their work hours, track their productivity, and plan a vacation when they see that they need a break.
When the team is large, you won’t always notice how each employee is feeling, so in this case collegiality and joint consultations are important. In addition, an overworked employee means a greater risk of errors, which brings losses to the company.
November 19th marks the second year of “Home Day,” an invitation to spend more time at home. Why do you think we are spending less and less time at home?
I have not met a person who would say something negative about the house and not appreciate it. For most people, the house evokes the best associations. However, everyone agrees that there is not enough time for the house. In my opinion, if we do not think about the house ourselves, we will not find time for it, no one will do it for us. Time at home, just like work, needs to be planned.
We want both employees and employers to think about how work-home balance can be a source of greater achievement, which is why the “Home Day” initiative was born. It encourages us to pause, step back from the work marathon, and turn to the most precious place in our lives – home.
About the Eika group of companies
Founded in 1992, the company “EIKA” is one of the largest real estate development and construction groups in Lithuania, successfully developing residential, commercial, public and other purpose building projects, creating a new quality of life and work. The company has already built more than 3,000 apartments and 270 thousand square meters of buildings. “Eika” has been awarded many times as the best real estate developer in Lithuania, and the company’s projects “Santariškių namai” and “EIKOs namai Pilaitė” have also become the best in Lithuania.
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