In practice, a 30-hour work week hardly ever works out well. The employee has “outed” themselves as a less-dedicated employee, and the politics of the workplace often mean that those working on a “reduced schedule” see their hours and expectations expand back to 40-50 hours or more. So, you have the downside of being stigmatized and getting less pay, but you wind up still doing your original amount of work. frustration mounts. Employees quit. When I heard about Amazon’s reduc

A few weeks ago, Harvard Business Review Online published my latest article, “Relax, You Have 168 Hours This Week.” This is my eighth article for them (click here to see a list of them all), and one I am particularly proud of. In the piece, I use time management techniques to illustrate how we, as busy working parents can find enough time for career, family and life. Please click on the picture below or here to go to the full article, or see below for an excerpt. Click here t

“Knowing that we have 168 hours might be the motivation we need to prioritize and make the changes that will make our lives more satisfying” -From my August 1st Harvard Business Review Online article, “Relax, You Have 168 Hours This Week” Welcome to Fathers, Work and Family Thank you for reading, and for visiting my site. For those of you who are visiting Fathers, Work and Family for the first time, feel free to have a look around. Here’s a link to my “Greatest Hits.” Here ar

If you’re a dad who works, this is a good time to celebrate. Not only because it’s Fathers’ Day, but because caring about fathers and their needs is no longer a touchy-feely, Phil Donahue kind of thing. Businesses, researchers, the media, and all manner of celebrities have been throwing the spotlight on men who enjoy full lives honoring the importance of both work and family. – From my June 13 HBR article, The Rise of the Hands-On Dad Welcome to Fathers, Work and Family Thank

A Harvard Business Review blog reader’s comment demonstrates that many senior managers are supportive of work-life balance. I expected less enlightened management philosophies from some of my readers. I was happy to be wrong! photo credit: Kalexanderson via photopin cc When I think of the older readers of the Harvard Business Review, I imagine super-smart, tough, hard-working types with old-school management philosophies. So, when I wrote my latest article for the HBR blog, e

Workplace flexibility is a key for working parents trying to balance work and family. Here are some questions that can help us assess the flexibility we have at work, and some ideas about how to leverage them. A screencap of my recent HBR article aimed at supervisors. What are its implications for us working dads? Keep reading to find out! Last week, I wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review blog in which I advised well-intentioned supervisors on how to be more “fami

Chronic overwork can lead to work-family imbalance, reduced effectiveness and burnout. Occasional overwork is a necessity; chronic overwork is detrimental. Here’s why we need to pace ourselves. A screencap of my Oct. 11th piece at HBR On October 11th, my second article for the Harvard Business Review blog was published. It was the most read and commented upon article on the HBR website for a whole week, and has been shared on social media over 6500 times! The article discusse