Tired and stressed out from juggling work, family, and the myriad of responsibilities of modern life. We understand! According to a survey conducted by the National Life Insurance Co., four out of ten employees state that their jobs are “very” or “extremely” stressful. Those in high stress jobs are three times more likely than others to suffer from stress-related medical conditions and are twice as likely to quit. The study states that women, in particular, report stress related to the conflict between work and family.  "Many women's lives resemble a juggling act that includes multiple responsibilities at work, heavy meeting schedules, business trips, on top of managing the daily routine responsibilities of life and home," said Jan Donnelly of CareerWomen.com. She reminds employers that "helping employees successfully achieving work/life balance will ultimately create a more satisfied workforce that contributes to productivity and success in the workplace."

Adapting to the changes and demands of today’s workplace, as well as adapting to your personal career goal and the goals of your company, is critical to maintaining healthy work/life balance.  Sounds unattainable? It’s not.  You can control the balance.  You may want to consider alternatives to the traditional work scheduling, including job sharing, flex-time, part-time or contracted services and freelance projects.  Be sure to do your research and only approach your supervisor with thoroughly thought-out proposals for alternative solutions.  If you're going to propose that you work from home one day a week, how will your work get done? How will people reach you? Do you have the necessary setup at home to handle the work properly? Outlining how the alternative schedule will benefit you, others in your department and your company will help influence decisions.  Be patient. Change takes careful consideration and time.

If your proposal is rejected, stay positive and ask for feedback. Then establish a time frame for revisiting your work schedule and stick to it. Nothing is more important than establishing a healthy work-life balance.