A family is a collection of people who are affiliated together by uniting a number of factors. Such factors may include ancestry or residency. The former description (ancestry) is the most common accepted description. According to this description the significance of a family is procreation and continuation of the society. For the continuation of the society, work is important and it has to be an integral part of a community. Work presents a solution but adds another problem because one has to balance between the two. Their association is complex and they interact on several fonts and it still continues to be an interesting topic which vast research going on and many will be carried out on how to resolve their conflict and forge a formidable union. Concepts and locale of their cooperation and conflict are equal and therefore the areas of research are not quite defined or specific because the exact nature that they relate is not well understood. In spite lacking clearness in the relationship, this (Family and work) is an important area of research as families still go on trying to locate the balance.
At the personal level this relationship has been tailored to so that they don’t affect spouse relations, parenting skills, and personal satisfaction in life. Work- family constraints have entered corporate world and are shifting gears both on the part of the employer and the employee. This has brought about a lot of competitive and constructive advantages. In the past there were some benefits that were accorded to some particular people in the society like maternity leaves but that is not the case nowadays. The employer is targeting to keep the best of the staff members and the employee is opposed loosing the job. These two conflicting interests must toil out to forge a harmonious relation (Scott, 2005).
In both these two journals (employee assistance and family issues for people who work with family) there is a consensus that a balance has to be struck between job and family. In trying to balance a strain is mostly likely to arise and it manifests itself in various ways for instance psychologically and bodily. It can be a very tiring job which in the end leaves the body exhausted completely. If this kind of work is done for a long time without a break like a holiday, it starts now affecting your emotions. Emotional stress is the worse expression of the stress the body is experiencing (Jeffrey, 2002).
In both the journals, there is the advocacy of periodical reviewing of performance both on the worker and employer. Human beings are supposed to be flexible and not rigid and this explains why man has been able to survive throughout history and still remains the dominant species and the most evolved. The different schedules that are enacted to be followed ought to be reviewed from time to time because a lot is changing daily in modern world and a change is as good as a rest. This works towards fostering a serene working atmosphere and uplifting the relationship between the employer and employees and among the employees. In life of an individual, two important things are work and family. For a man, his life revolves around family and work and if for any reason there is a problem in of them, then the other will be the recipient of the consequences e.g. if there is a problem at home then unquestionably there is going to be underperformance in work. There are numerous things that bring tense relations between work and family which are two way. There are those that are work related or family related. Conflict enters when one of them is demanding and ends up consuming the time meant for the other. A day has twenty four hours and every body is supposed to fit all the schedules in that time frame which means that if you misappropriate and waste your time then some of your schedules have to be scrapped or done away with. In the job setting you may have a supervisor who is always on your case, inflexible working conditions and schedules whereas on the home front we may have uncooperative spouse or problems in child care or in-laws that are making your life a nightmare. It’s even worse if a person has war on both these fronts (Kiger, & Riley, 2000).
Another area where the two journals are in harmony is in the way forward or how to manage or handle the conflicts. Some ways are appearing to be standard e.g. prioritizing issues. Priorities in life are known but some are not known due to either ignorance or we simply lack the will to institute them. Priorities are usually not noticed until conflicts arise. This idea of priorities is the one that brings about conflict because the employee and the employer have different priorities but all must work towards achieving a universal target. Goals and what to achieve should also be set so as to define the extend and usage of our time. The goals set may serve as the base of our operation or on basis of relation like relation in the family or relation between the family and work. Another thing that there is agreement in handling the conflicts is acquiring self control and letting go of trivial things that form part of life. Understanding control is very important and giving others a chance in doing a task is important in increasing self esteem. Delegation of duties forms an important aspect of operation especially in working environment therefore its essential that it is emphasized. Thinking about change in this area needs critical analysis of some values that we cherish or our expectations. The aim of this exercise of delegating work is to bring out maximum satisfaction in what we do and also foster good relations amid job and family (Jeffrey, 2002).
In approaching of the issues that affecting the working community and family, one uses the family as the most probable way attacking the problem whereas the other takes a different approach that of looking things from the work perspective. In solving this predicament from the family issue, it has been pointed out that making plans and communication are the core values to be embraced. Family meetings are important in solving the problems that occur in a family. As long as people are staying together, there will be strife which is normal and healthy but the important thing in the end is how to solve the conflicts which may mean making or breaking the family which is a basic unit of a society. In addition to holding family meetings, occasional camping trips are also advocated so that monotony is avoided. Monthly or regular camping trips in a year for the whole family are necessary to encourage bonding and understanding one another better.
It’s during these trips that the evaluation of the family performance is undertaken and new goals may be set depending on the achievement of the previous set goals. It’s always important to review the existing goals and debate their weakness and their strengths. This will define the next action whether to abolish the goals all together or just alter them to suit your objectives. At some point in the trips and also in the family, good humor is necessary so as to improve on icy relations in the family. Humor can save a lot of expenditures especially those that are medical related. The best way the human body handles stress is by weakening its immunity and this happens naturally by channeling the resources of immunity towards warding of stress. The body is therefore left prone to a lot of attack of diseases but and the least of opportunistic diseases will attack and off to a physician you go for treatment. Humor can work towards creating a happy and lively environment that will leave no room for stress, or time wastage in visiting physicians and subsequent financial wastage which as we progress seem to be resources that fast fading into the horizons (Scott, 2005).
In the case of looking the conflict from the work angle, it offers ways that working towards creation of a conducive atmosphere and avoiding work getting in way of family. In work we should comprehend control and then this will help us in understanding what we can control or not control. A lot of time and funds is wasted trying to control other people or control things that are immaterial to our work. On the part of the employer, it’s important to know that for management to be effective it has to be a continual and not static process that will has to be evolving in nature (Kiger, & Riley, 2000).
These journals are fundamental in understanding the fragile relations that exist between the modern working community and family. Issues have been expressed that affect or foster that relation. They point out ways in which overlooking on one area over the other can affect the other and how we can identify the common practices that cause this. The research methodologies involved constitute carrying out surveys on real people and on issues that are affecting and therefore it’s easier for to identify with them. In terms of contribution, they educate the masses on how to diffuse the tensions that are associated with the two and dealing with them because we can only minimize the tension between them but not finish them due to the close relations that they have.
Reference
Jeffrey, H. (2002). Integrating work and family. Boston: Greenhaus publication.
Kiger, G., & Riley, P. (2000). Helping Dual Earners Balance Work & Family Responsibilities. New York: Harrington Park Press Inc.
Scott, F. (2005). A Natural History of Families. New York: Princeton University.