This document discusses strategies for balancing home, family, and work responsibilities for Extension faculty. It notes that Extension faculty often have conflicting demands on their time from work, family, and personal obligations. This can lead to stress, which can cause health issues if not managed properly. Those most at risk for burnout include young agents, single agents, and those involved in youth work. The document provides several strategies for achieving a better work-life balance, such as creative scheduling, combining work and family, setting boundaries between work and personal time, prioritizing family, and practicing self-care.

1. Balancing Home, Family
and Work
Home Family Work

2. Why Should We Discuss Balancing
Home, Family and Work?
• Extension Faculty OFTEN find themselves
with conflicting demands on their time and
energy by clientele, administrators, family
expectations, and personal priorities.
Fetsch & Kennington, 1997

3. What Can These Conflicts Lead to?
Stress!!

4. Stress Can Lead To…
• Increased alcohol
use
• Insomnia
• Intestinal problems
• Decreased
concentration
• Headaches
• Ulcers
• Nervous tics
• Infectious diseases
• Job burnout
• Suicide and much
more…
Fetsch & Kennington, 1997

5. Who in Extension is Most Likely to
Experience Job Burnout?
• 4-H agents, young agents, single agents
• Those between 20-30 years old
• Males and females
• Mostly those who are involved in youth work.
• Agents with joint program responsibilities such
as 4-H and agriculture
Fetsch and Kennington, 1997

6. What Else Could Happen?
• Negative effect on marital relationships.
• Negative effects on parent-child relationships.
• Increased health care costs.
• Married agents report that job stressors had
an impact on their ability to do the job.
Patterson & McCubbin, 1984

7. Strategies for Achieving Balance
• Scheduling
• Combining work and family
• Working flexible hours
• Setting boundaries
• Making families first
• Personalizing strategies

8. Creative Scheduling
• Use one calendar for scheduling work, family
and personal dates.
• Highlight or write family dates in ink to
prevent double scheduling.
• Place annual leave on that calendar, as well.
• Does it matter? Can it be delegated?
• 1-2 evening meetings/week.

9. Combining Work and Family
• Ask family members/close friends to assist in
preparing meeting rooms, registration, handing
out materials.
• Involve spouse/family in work related travel to
the extent that you can.

10. Working Flexible Hours
• May lead to guilt because no formal “Flextime”
policy.
• Check out working at home, as an option.
• Leaving when you “need” to.
• Check out coming in later in the day after an
evening meeting or a weekend event.

11. Setting Boundaries
• Leave work at work!
• Say no!
• Delegate!
• “Please call my office during work hours
regarding work matters…”

12. Making Family First
• Share household tasks and child care.
• Video tape children’s events.
• Communicate .
• Eat meals at unusual hours.
• Eat lunch out with spouse/other once a week.

13. Making It Personal
• Exercise
• Take your/family’s birthdays off.
• Take breaks.
• Don’t loose you annual leave, you’ve earned it!
• Add a sense of humor to everyday events.