Having a workaholic boss often means working long hours and sacrificing personal time to meet all the demands. Forget about having any work-life balance — for workaholics, work is life. You can’t change your boss, but you can take steps to deal with the demands:
- Avoid notorious workplaces. Do your research to find an organization in line with your views of work-life balance.
- Set your own boundaries… Don’t be afraid to share your work philosophy with your boss to help establish boundaries.
- … and stick to them. If you decide to go in over a weekend to finish up a project, make sure your boss knows this is an exception, not an expectation.
- Acknowledge, then negotiate. If a deadline is too tight acknowledge the request and then work to find a compromise.
- Find the right balance. If weekend work is unavoidable, make it part of your schedule so it doesn’t disrupt your personal and family time too much.
- Show your sacrifice. If you have to skip out on family or personal time for work, let your boss know and work to find a compromise that won’t interrupt your life.
The key is to coexist with your boss. You can’t change their approach to work, but you can manage your expectations to ensure a successful collaboration.
“Most people chase success at work, thinking that will make them happy. The truth is that happiness at work will make you successful.” – Alexander Kjerulf