Worklife balance in
academia: Fact or fiction
Professor Mohamad Alameddine Dean, College of Health Sciences
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This will not be an academic presentation.
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This is a two-way conversation.
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I intend to be provocative!
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I do not know the answers…
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This presentation is not about the UOS.
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Let this be a safe environment.
A few disclaimers
The Quest for Happiness
Balanced Healthy Happy
The clock versus the compass
VS.
Much has been written about the topic…yet
little progress has been made!
What is work-life balance?
An individual’s appraisal of how well they manage work- and nonwork- related obligations in ways that the individual is satisfied with both, while simultaneously maintaining their
health and well-being.
Bartlett, M. J., Arslan, F. N., Bankston, A., & Sarabipour, S. (2021). Ten simple rules to improve academic work-life balance.PLoS computational biology,17(7), e1009124. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009124
Serious misconceptions
● Work & family are natural enemies!
● Working long hours is important for career advancement.
● Balance can be perfectly planned.
● Technology will give us more leisure time.
● Professional success equals to happiness.
Academics are viewed as having high flexibility and
autonomy at work
Admittedly, he’s not the best conversationalist but he’s always good
company, bringing life and levity to my office space.
I’m talking about the plant.
Oh, and there’s Eddie.
Dylan Rogness
Balancing What?
What do you care
for in life?
Physical Health
Family
Mental wellbeing Friends
Work
Love
Let us spice things up!!!
What do you care
for in life?
Physical Health
Family
Mental wellbeing Friends
Work Love
Publish or perish Sit on 10+ committees
Serve the community Teach or be in
contract breach
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The most accurate description of our time is the acronym VUCA
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Volatile
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Uncertain
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Complex
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Ambiguous
And then came the pandemic!!!
The main challenge
the negative spillover effect
Professional Life
Personal Personal Life
Professional Life Life
Reem Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for
International Cooperation
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Is satisfying all the requirements for being an
academician doable under all those pressures? YES
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Is it sustainable? NO
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What should we do? Promote Balance/ satisfaction
The question remains
“ Achieving success without work-life balance is more dangerous than achieving
failure without work-life balance ”
Think about this
Why should we care for work-life balance?
Poor physical and
mental health Lower career
satisfaction Lower organizational commitment
Depression, anxiety, mood swings, burnout, etc.
Stifled academic
entrepreneurship, lower performance and
productivity.
Intention to leave academia.
Outcomes of Work-Life Balance on Job Satisfaction, Life Satisfaction and Mental Health: A Study across Seven Cultures.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2014.08.010
Our research evidence/plans
Two studies under way:
- Work life balanceamong DHA nurses.
- Work life balance among primary healthcare workers in Oman.
Proposal for “Health and Workforce
Studies” research
group
Do not bring work issues home
Clearly identify what matters to you
Always socialize with family & friends
Commit to strategies that increase productivity
What can be done?
1 2
3 4
Exercise daily (no
matter what!) Advocate for positive
change
Seek feedback from loved ones
Seek out institutional support systems
5 6
7 8
You are invited –Tomorrow
The picture can't be displayed.
One more potential misconception!
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Is work-life balance attainable? Why? Why not?
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What do you do to maintain work-life balance?
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Do you feel a four-day work week helped with work-life balance?
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What can be done at UOS to promote a healthy
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Work-life balance?
Discussion questions
Thank you
