Finding the off switch when you’re a busy PA juggling work and home life is a constant struggle. Executive PA asks whether PAs can really have it all? By Cora Lydon

It seems that many PAs are wearing more than one hat – you may find your workload has increased or you’re taking on new roles and responsibilities to cover for workers who have been made redundant. And it doesn’t end there – at home you’re expected to be a parent, a chef, a taxi driver, chief homework adviser, cleaner, gardener and much, much more. Work is increasingly taking up more of our free time, according to the Australian Council of Trade Unions, and PAs aren’t happy. A survey, canvassing the opinion of some 2,800 workers has revealed that 54 per cent of workers believe they have too much work for one person alone in the office, while a third say their managers expect them to place work ahead of their home and personal life. Interestingly a massive 75 per cent say they are prepared to take a pay cut to work fewer hours reflecting just how important achieving a good work-life balance is. Middle income earners are those least likely to complain about their work-life balance, while those who earn less than $30,000 or more than $90,000 report higher levels of work-related pressure.

What’s taking your time?
The work/life balance is one that is often associated with working mums but according to the 2008 Balance in Australia in the New Millennium: rhetoric versus reality report just under half of respondents claimed that childcare was a shared responsibility in their household. So finding that elusive balance is a problem for both sexes it seems. And if you thought it was just about juggling baby bottles with budgets think again. More and more people are juggling care of elderly relatives too. According to the report more than one in three respondents have an elderly dependent who lives nearby, while close to half take responsibility for an elderly relative who doesn’t live locally.

Can you improve your work-life balance?
With businesses keen to hold on to valuable staff they’re looking into more creative ways to not only keep employees happy but also reduce their bottom line. Reducing workers’ weekly hours, introducing nine day fortnights and encouraging them to use up holiday and long service leave are ideas being implemented across the country by companies who are loathe to sack their greatest assets. At the start of 2009 employees at PricewaterhouseCoopers were urged to work a four-day week and to join the firm’s equilibrium program, designed for staff to work flexibly in order to spend time with families and pursue other interests. In a similar vein The Australian Hotels Association estimates that Aussie corporations are facing liabilities up to $31billion thanks to 121 million days of accrued annual leave and are calling for annual leave to be capped at 300 hours per year so Aussies are forced to take more holidays – which can only be good for your work-life balance.

Juggling roles
The average worker not only puts in 48.4 hours a week in the office but also:
• 5.6 hours commuting
• 4.2 hours doing extra work in evenings and weekends
• 9 hours on chores and errands
• 5 hours in childcare
• 1 hour in eldercare
• 2 hours on career development
Source: 2008 Balance in Australia in the New Millennium: rhetoric versus reality report