There’s a lot of talk these days about work life balance among Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials. Gen Z has no qualms about leaving jobs that prevent a proper work-life balance and actively looks for red flags during job interviews to determine an employer’s commitment to fostering a work-life balance.1 It’s a hot topic, with bloggers, journalists, and motivational speakers all offering tips for achieving a good work-life balance.
Why is work-life balance suddenly such a hot topic?
In a word, Technology. Back in the day when most work was manual there was a start and finish to your day. Your time was your own before and after work. Not so much today. We can work from anywhere, at any time. So, when does the day actually end? For some, if not many of us, it doesn’t. Emails find us at all hours of the day, wherever we are. Without time away from all things related to work our health and relationships take a beating which can ultimately affect our mental well-being. Add to that our quality of work can also be impacted.
What does work balance and professional success look like?
It starts with a company that recognizes the value of balancing work obligations with life priorities, one that sets their employees up for success in this area. Says Normand Chevrette, President of CME Corp., “The perfect employee in our mind, the one that’s going to be the most successful, is the employee who understands that there are priorities in life. We want their priority to be the family. Number one in their life should be family.”
Chris and Julie Godfrey (Team Godfrey), husband and wife and co-account managers at CME, are as close to Normand’s perfect employee as you can get. They have achieved enviable success managing large medical equipment centric accounts in Connecticut and Maine as well as a large national retail clinic with 200 locations. Yet they still have had time to create a blended family of four children and five grandchildren, walk with their dogs on the beach, and watch a hockey or baseball game. This summer Chris and Julie will embark on an Alaskan cruise.
Make no mistake, it takes a conscious effort and work to stick to the healthy boundaries required to balance your work and family lives. For example, Julie says that while she and Chris do work in the same house, they have two separate offices. They connect in the afternoon to recap the day and finalize the day’s tasks together, then call it a day. Finito.
Earlier in his career with CME, Chris was the Director of Business Development, a position that required regular travel. Following two neck surgeries, shoulder surgery and continued mobility challenges that made the simple task of maneuvering a keyboard a problem, Chris prioritized his health with a transition back to account management to lessen travel requirements. Chris has since been diagnosed with ALS.
Despite this serious health challenge Chris is still moving forward, “we’ve got a couple of larger projects in the works … I would love to see those projects through and sail off into the sunset.”
Chris and Julie understand all too well that there are priorities in life, “We try to keep living in today because it makes you more aware of everything you do during that day, the importance of little things, and just how fragile time is.” says Julie.
Read more of Team Godfrey’s inspiring story.
Ask Yourself “Do I C(ME) at CME?
We’re on the search for people who enjoy finding solutions to clients’ needs and road warriors who want to ditch the desk and join our team in the field. We need service focused people who can manage multiple projects simultaneously. Are you good at working with your hands, or building and installing a spectrum of products? We need you too.
CME offers opportunities in project management, logistics, installation, biomedical services, account management, digital marketing, online merchandising and more!
And yes, Gen Z , you will have a meaningful professional purpose without sacrificing good pay, flexibility, or a healthy work life balance.
1. https://www.businessinsider.com/work-life-balance-red-flags-for-gen-z-job-seekers-2023-3
About CME: CME Corp is the nation’s premier source for healthcare equipment, turnkey logistics, and biomedical services, representing 2 million+ products from more than 2,000 manufacturers. With two corporate offices and 35+ service centers, our mission is to help healthcare facilities nationwide reduce the cost of the equipment they purchase, make their equipment specification, delivery, installation, and maintenance processes more efficient, and help them seamlessly launch, renovate and expand on schedule.
