In Search of Worklife Balance Jim Kendall, LCSW, CEAP, Manager of Work-Life Connections, and Stephanie Dean, LPC, CEAP, Assistant Manager, discuss the often elusive concept of work-life balance and suggest ways to make balancing work and home life a reality.
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Janet McCutchen: Welcome to this edition of the Vanderbilt University Health and Wellness Wellcast. I am Janet McCutchen with Work/Life Connections. I am here today with Jim Kendall, Manager of Work/Life Connections EAP, and Stephanie Dean, Assistant Manager. We know that here at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, we certainly tend to attract great faculty and staff from around the world, and if you are new to Vanderbilt and Nashville, welcome. Vanderbilt is a great place to work and Nashville is very vibrant city, and we know that everyone that works at Vanderbilt will be working hard and making a difference for people through discovery and through the medical care and education. It is also important though to have some work/life balance. That can be easier said than done. Jim as Manager of Work/Life Connections, you certainly have seen a number people through the years that have a challenge with that, and I think all of us tend to have a challenge with that. Talk a little bit about how our EAP can support people in that way? Jim Kendall: Well, if you let it, work can consume you because we are all just hoping for the discovery that if we work just a little bit harder, we will find it or we will be able to finish something, and the kind of work that we do often means that we are not able to finish in that hour or in that day and going home we need to figure out how can we do some activities that help recharge us and that can be a real challenge for people who are new. So, one other thing that we know is important in that balance is to have some kind of social connections and activities and to build that social network and that is a hard thing to do when you are new. Janet McCutchen: It is when you are new and you are also working hard and trying to become oriented to the Vanderbilt culture. Stephanie, what is one thing that you tend to recommend people do when they are new to Vanderbilt? What do you recommend for somebody new trying to get adjusted to things? Stephanie Dean: I think we can start with what you already like to do. So, if you like to exercise, be aware that there is Health Plus here on campus and that there are various YMCAs and other health club facilities around town. It is a great way to meet people who like to do the same things that you do as well as sort of get that exercising which is really good for stress and help and deal with the work/life balance. There are lots of other activities in town and lots of websites that can help you locate resources based on what you already like to do rather than recreating the will and trying to learn something new. Start with what you already know that you like and then go from there. Jim Kendall: I think here at Nashville one of the first things to do is to pretend you are a tourist and you will also be bringing folks to some of these places when they come to town. So, you want to familiarize yourself and may be take one of those tours and find out about the Country Music Hall of Fame, The First Center, Downtown, Second Avenue, the Opryland area just so you have some sense when visitors come to town, you will able to be in old hand showing them so of our sites. Janet McCutchen: And when people obviously are getting adjusted to not only Vanderbilt’s culture, but the city, a lot of times there is set tendency to dive pretty deeply into your job and to put your focus there when you are new In general, what are some good ways to learn to set limits? I think to your earlier point our work tends to never be done. It is not like we have a checklist of things where most of us can end the day and everything is accomplished. How do we set limits? What is a good way of being able to set appropriate limits on what our workplace responsibilities are and to find that balance? Jim Kendall: Well, I am really good at setting my daytime calendar for all the things I do at work and it is a challenge for me to remember that I need to plan and schedule activities for my time off so that I have some things to look forward to and I have some reasons to leave work and get away because maybe there is a movie or a play in town or a good music venue that I want to go to, and if I can schedule something with another person, then it gives me a good reason to get out the office, to get away, and to meet up with that person and while initially it seems like “Ah, this is just going to be another task,” it really re energies you and I think it just keeps on giving because you are able to then come the next day and say, “I heard some great music.,” “I got to go to a terrific restaurant,” and it is a great conservation starter with some of your colleagues who will then direct you to a bunch of other great places. Janet McCutchen: Right. We certainly schedule everything else. I mean, we schedule work, responsibilities, so to your point if we have something on our calendars that can make it easier to make sure we get that out and have that balance. What works for you, Stephanie? I know you have a family beyond here as most of us do and responsibilities. What works for you? Stephanie Dean: Well again, I think Jim is right that you have to schedule it and then not only that you have to often have reminders that you need to do like Jim said. It is often hard. I like more solitary activities when I am way from work. So, I like to be in a park. Nashville has a great series of green ways. Just to be outside is often mostly what I like to do. So, just to remember that the weather here is great most of the year and that there are plenty of activities you can get to outside that are free and available. Jim Kendall: There are some pet-friendly places as well, some parks in Nashville. So, you can look those up, and if you are having a hard time finding those, on our Work/Life Connections EAP website, if you look under social connections, we have a list of links for you to be able to find things that match your interest, some volunteer groups, great way to meet folks, things like hiking, biking clubs, exercise, standup comedy, dancing, and classes. So, there is a bunch of stuff there we have got everyday happening here and in the various places at Vanderbilt. Look at some of the sites because there is always something happening here. Janet McCutchen: That is true. I think Vanderbilt does a great job in terms of posting, communicating, what is coming up if it is a lecture from the medical standpoint around the University side, or if there is something coming up. I know here in the summer for several months we have our farmers’ market on Thursday afternoons. So, I mean that is another way of getting out and just reminding ourselves that even here on campus that Vanderbilt has some opportunity to get out and about and achieve some kind of balance to our day. Jim Kendall: If you happen to be reading your email, there is MyVU and MyVUMC that keep us abreast of a lot of great things happening. So, it is another way to keep abreast of the events and things happening around Vanderbilt and the Nashville community. Janet McCutchen: Right. If people get stuck in that and their adjustment can be difficult, people get lonely, or have trouble adjusting, there is Work/Life Connections. That is what we do every day and so folks certainly can come by and sometimes just talking things through can be a great help in that whole adjustment process. So, Stephanie, Jim, great, having you talk with everyone today regarding how to get onboard here at Vanderbilt and at Nashville. If anyone has any further questions, do not hesitate to call us here at Work/Life Connections or get online at our website. Thanks so much for joining us. Jim Kendall: Thank you and welcome everyone. Stephanie Dean: Welcome to Nashville. Janet McCutchen: Thanks for listening. Please feel free to leave us any comments on this Wellcast by clicking the “Add New Comment” link at the bottom of this page. If you have a story or suggestion, please email it to us at health.wellness@vanderbilt.edu, or you can use the “Contact Us” link on our website at healthandwellness.vanderbilt.edu. Thanks for listening. -- end of recording (08:38) --
