Comments on: Working to live to work to….what?

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:57:21 +0000

I totally understand what you are saying about work/life balance. I had to fight to work 2 days a week from home – only got to do it because I threatened to quit if they didn’t work with me and they deemed me valuable enough at the time to work with me. My biggest fear right now is that my new boss will change that. My old boss used to say things all the time like “I don’t know why you want to work from home anyway.” which I figured just showed exactly how much “balance” she had. It’s like I’m seen as not being as gung ho or as “into” work if I work from home. I’ve always contended that I get more done since I don’t start the day out with a stressful 1 hour drive through Dallas traffic when I work from home. I wish companies would allow telecommuting a lot because I think it is great and just wish I got to do it everyday!

By: emjaybee

emjaybee — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:49:34 +0000

It’s in Blue Mars, when they’re formalizing the Martian government, and have lots of discussions about why quality of life issues (housing, healthcare, etc.) should be in the constitution, as well as economic issues like taxes. Pretty much parts of socialism, a word that will get you burned at the stake in most of the U.S. Robinson has one of his characters, who is being accused of socialism, basically issue a large smackdown on the order of “quit trying to scare us with bogeymen, socialism as a system never truly existed on Earth anyway, and taking some of its ideas makes sense if they work.”

By: Micaela

Micaela — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:00:11 +0000

Well, Grabapple, I second your Crabapple. I’ve groused about this as well in my blog.
I don’t want things, I want freedom of choice. I want to be home with my son instead of working the 9-5 (in my case 8-4:30). After that, my second choice is to work from home, which I could easily do. But I work for a state agency, and it’s even more of a dinosaur than corporate america. Plus, I live in the southeast, which is particularly not progressive. Asking to telecommute is almost equal to saying, “no, I don’t accept Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior.” It’s sacriledge. There is no trust (or respect) of worker bees, and control is paramount in the Bible Belt.
Every day I struggle with quality of life issues, like you. Every day, I examine the same questions you do. I’m not any closer.
I will say that every day I also look for solutions. For example, I put an ad in Craigslist announcing my services as a personal assistant/housekeeper, if the potential employer would let me bring my kid to work. I’ve got a Master’s in Health Journalism. Yep. I’m that hard up to find the balance. But that probably won’t work because my back is injured and we need health benefits, and currently, I am the supplier of benefits for my family.
Have you considered other work options? The answer is probably yes.
By the way, I read the Mars Trilogy ages ago. I can’t remember what you are referring to, I’ll have to go take a peek.