I worked in sales for 15 years in a very competitive industry, and I never got to benefit from the so-called work-life balance culture.  Even the largest organization for which I worked (which happens to be one of the largest companies in the world) seemed to advocate it, yet it was non-existent to me. 

Now I will say that being in sales does make it tougher to take time off.  If you are at all good at your job, you can’t afford to be away from your phone and email for any length of time.  Even a two or three day break makes life that much harder when you return, or worse, you could miss out on something very important. 

But I’m seeing more and more people in all sorts of roles working more hours and getting less time with their families, not just sales people.  I understand many people are fearful of losing their jobs because they’ve witnessed many others go through it, so they feel the obligation to put in the extra time.  But should companies be allowing these employees to get so burned out?  

If you are a working mom, or if your spouse tends to work more than the old fashioned “full time” work week, do you see any dedication to work-life balance at your company?  How are you finding the time and ability to manage both work and family life effectively?  What about your working friends?