St.Louis Business Journal
HOW TO MANAGE YOUR PERSONAL TIME AT WORK

By Anna Navarro

March 2006  

Author's note: Client stories in this column are based on actual situations fictionalized to protect privacy and told with permission.

Irene had serious personal problems. Many of us do. But the way she handled them at work created problems for her on the job as well.

When her co-workers greeted her in the morning with "How are you?" She'd give them a detailed description of her worries. She continued talking about her problems throughout the day. She also talked to friends and family on the phone during work hours about her difficulties, and used her office computer to do personal research.

Irene's problems were real and substantial, and it's unrealistic to expect that she could leave them entirely at home. But her behavior distracted other employees, and interfered with her own productivity. Eventually her boss noticed and reprimanded her. Irene responded by telling him what was going on in her life, then she went back to doing the same thing.

The boss was now paying attention. He spoke to Irene several more times about her behavior, and when the situation failed to improve significantly, he reluctantly put her on probation. She was a good worker in many ways and he valued her skills. But her behavior was disruptive to everyone in the office. He was gearing himself up to fire her if she didn't change how she operated.

Situations like this arise every day in the workplace. What do we do when life confronts us with problems and we still have to show up at work in the morning?

In most situations, I recommend using the "ten minute rule". We are all human. We can't just chop off the challenges of our personal lives when we walk through the door of our workplaces. But we also have to recognize that the purpose of work is to get the job done, not to serve as a personal support system for us.

Ten minutes a day of discussing our personal problems is enough to let bosses and co-workers know we are having a hard time personally. It provides enough information for them to understand that if you aren't smiling or friendly it's not about them. And enough information that if they care to, they can follow-up with you at lunch or even at home. But it doesn't force them to listen, or get in the way of getting work done.

If ten minutes a day isn't enough because you need to vent and get support and have no other place to get it, then it's time to consider professional help. If you can't afford it, check into one of many community service agencies that provide counseling services on a sliding fee basis.

The "ten-minute rule" is also helpful in terms of taking care of most other personal matters at work. We all need to wish grandmothers a happy birthday, or deal with a baby sitter problem or make doctors appointments. But time you spend on these issues needs to be limited so you can focus on doing your job.

There are times, however, when the ten-minute rule just doesn't work. We all run into big problems that require our attention during the workday - a spouse who is fighting cancer, an unexpected legal hassle in the purchase of a new home. How do you handle that?

My advice is to briefly explain to your boss what is happening, then ask how he or she would like you to handle it. Options include coming in early or late to do your work, taking vacation or even taking unpaid leave. The objective is to be straightforward about what you need and to work out a mutually agreeable way to deal with it.

A similar approach applies to handling recurring personal needs during normal work hours. Whether it's taking a longer lunch on a regular basis to work out, or taking outdoor breaks during the day to smoke, if the sum total of time you need is more than ten minutes a day it's best to discuss the situation with your boss.

The better job you do of communicating briefly about what is going on with you and figuring out with your boss how you can still get your work done the more degrees of freedom you are likely to be allowed to deal with your personal issues when they arise during the workday.

Anna Navarro is the founder of Work Transitions, a nationwide career consulting firm that trains independent career strategists and consults with individual clients.

This column was originally published by the St. Louis Business Journal. The actual title of the column and date in which it appeared in the Business Journal may be slightly different from what appears on WorkTransitions.com.