天美传媒

Decades after the work-life balance became part of the conversation on professional success, are we any closer to finding equilibrium? Has technology tipped the scales? And what does success even mean?

The 3^rd annual student-run took place in Barcelona recently under the theme The Power of Balance: Defining and Owning Your Own Success. The conference brought together business women working in a range of sectors 鈥� from automotive and finance, to energy and technology 鈥� and in companies of all sizes. They discussed ways to balance work and personal commitments, and how to find and define success.

Here鈥檚 a handful of takeaways from the day:

• It鈥檚 not just about motherhood. 鈥淭he work-life balance is everyone鈥檚 issue,鈥� said Isabel Abell谩n Serna, head of institutional sales at Banco Sabadell. While much of the discussion inevitably centers around the demands of motherhood, the conversation must encompass all interests outside of work 鈥� whether that鈥檚 children or charity or a hobby 鈥� regardless of gender.
• Company culture matters. Companies more adverse to work-life balance often have deeply ingrained cultures that prize clocking long hours. Some simple indications that a company is different: employees who generally go home on time, and formal personnel policies that allow for part-time work, work from home, and other flexible arrangements, which technology enables. Another indicator can be the gender mix of employees, though aggregate figures can mislead: It may be true that half of employees are women, but how about management? And are women in the core businesses?
• Bosses matter, too. The right boss 鈥� even in the most inflexible companies 鈥� may make balance possible. A number of the speakers stressed the need to lose the fear of talking about the work-life balance with management. 鈥淣obody is surprised when you raise these kinds of topics with your boss,鈥� said Eliana Garc铆a Alonso-Lamberti, investment director at CMC Group. 鈥淵ou need to lose the fear of facing these topics.鈥�
• Liking your job is key. Competing demands on time become much easier to handle if you truly like what you do and feel that your work has purpose. 鈥淵ou have to stop and think about what you鈥檙e doing and what you want,鈥� said Mireia Ribot of Gas Natural Fenosa. 鈥淎 moment arrives when you ask yourself does what I鈥檓 doing have real meaning?鈥� said Isabel Buil, director of reputation for Affinity Petcare and head of its foundation.
• Resilience is required. Even in the best of circumstances, the work-life balance can be tough to achieve, especially for women with young children. Having a supportive partner is crucial, as is the knowledge that it normally gets easier over time. Speakers stressed the need to cede control of some things at home and at work. 鈥淒on鈥檛 think that you have to be perfect,鈥� said Marta Ortega, senior relationship manager at Commerzbank.
• Seize opportunities. Concern over demands on their personal lives may make some people 鈥� especially women 鈥� hesitant to take on additional responsibilities at work or go into certain sectors such as finance and consulting. Laura Ros, general director of Volkswagen Spain, encouraged women to seize opportunities, even if they weren鈥檛 100% sure it was the right time or they had the right profile. 鈥淒on鈥檛 wait for someone to ask you to do something. Raise your hand. Participate,鈥� she said.
• Speak up and stand your ground. For a wide variety of reasons, many times we鈥檙e hesitant to stand our ground when it comes time to respecting the work-life balance. But you have to be firm with co-workers, clients and others. This is where technology is tricky, since it allows for flexibility but also for 24/7 connectedness. 鈥淚n my case it鈥檚 learning to say no,鈥� said Blanca L贸pez, who founded Belles Maisons. 鈥淣othing is urgent. We鈥檝e created this culture of urgency.鈥�
• Education is freedom. Continuous education 鈥� throughout your career 鈥� gives you greater freedom and flexibility to chart your own course. It鈥檚 crucial in all industries, but particularly those such as technology that are constantly changing. 鈥淵ou have to be learning all the time,鈥� said Raquel Tejedor, account executive at Microsoft. Beyond formal courses, education can take lots of forms 鈥� from receiving industry newsletters to listening to TED Talks.
• Define success the way you want. Time and again, the speakers stressed that there is no single definition of success. 鈥淔or me, absolutely, it鈥檚 not about a position. It鈥檚 a combination of my personal and professional life,鈥� said Anna Mialet Rigau of CaixaBank. And that definition changes over time. 鈥淔or me success has evolved to this concept of purpose in life,鈥� said Priscilla Lavoie, founder and CEO of Bida. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about what I am really going to leave behind.鈥�