I've been looking carefully at my weekly schedule to make sure I'm not committing to projects that I don't have time for. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day to get things done, and while I know that's a common sentiment, as a part-time worker I'm not sure anyone will empathize with me.
I currently have two employed positions; I work 0.7 FTE with a residency program and 0.1 FTE with a medical journal. I intentionally left 1 day a week open for my writing and volunteer projects; it also definitely de-stresses my marriage for one of us to have a little wiggle room in the week to take care of all of those sniggly domestic tasks that always crop up.
While examining how I've been spending my time, though, I discovered the phenomenon of "schedule creep." 0.7 FTE should leave 1.5 days a week free; 0.1 FTE should only take up 0.5 of one of those days. But I've been working 32-40 hours a week at my 0.7 FTE position; the 0.1 FTE is pretty close to 4-5 hours a week. That adds up to 36-44 hours per week of work, or 0.9-1.1 FTE. Add to that the sniggly domestic tasks that fall to me, and no wonder I'm not writing or volunteering nearly as much as I would like.
Of course, few full-time physicians work 40-hour weeks, and 32-36 hours is close to 70% of the average physician workweek. My husband is a 1.0 FTE physician, and he is regularly clocking 50-60 hour workweeks (which is why I don't begrudge doing my fair share of those sniggly domestic tasks). But seeing just how much time I am spending makes me feel a little better about the non-work activities that haven't been getting done as much as I would like.
That said, I have no regrets about being part-time. Although our dream to have a family hasn't panned out, it still works well for us as a two-physician household to have a release valve in our weekly schedule. I am certainly not getting 8 hours a week (my supposedly leftover 0.2 FTE) to spend on writing and volunteering, but at least I don't feel guilty about the time I do spend on non-work activities.
For right now, it works, and that's good enough for me.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
How much should my employer get to know about my activity?
As is true with an increasing number of employers, my new organization provided me with a free fitness tracking device. I sync it daily, and I'm earning incentives (mostly cash) based on my level of activity. If I track what I eat and engage in online health challenges, I can earn even more.
I have to admit that I find this little device (more accurately, a Virgin Pulse Max) motivating. Every morning, my Max greets me with a "Good morning, Jennifer" and a heart symbol on its screen. It's neat to accumulate activity badges and see my Max smile at me when I achieve my goal steps for the day. It's not cumbersome to use, and the cash incentives are nice.
While the jury is still out on the cost savings related to these worker incentive programs, they are becoming increasingly popular. I like the idea of being rewarded for making healthy choices, and it makes sense on a lot of levels for companies to promote health and wellness among their employees.
And yet.
I admit to some hesitancy, at times, with my Max. Adding another item to my daily "to do" list gets annoying; I have to clip Max on my waistband every morning and unclip it at night. It's a small device and easy to misplace (or for a cat to bat off my bedside table). I have to remember to sync Max regularly to earn my incentives. And, I have concerns about who might be doing what with my data. Who, precisely, is getting to see the data I upload? How much should my employer get to know about my activity? What I eat? How much I'm sleeping?
I also wonder how fair it is for companies to be able to punish employees for not engaging in wellness programs. Although some companies only reward desirable behaviors, some also have financial penalties for employees who refuse to participate and/or have unhealthy behaviors (tobacco being the most common). I worry that some employees may feel financially coerced to participate; they may not feel that they can afford to leave incentive money on the table (or pay penalties).
So, these are the issues I wrestle with when I attach Max to my waistband every morning. I enjoy the motivation, I think companies should promote employee wellness, but I'm bothered by privacy and fairness concerns.
I already know, though, that tomorrow morning I'll clip Max on again.
I have to admit that I find this little device (more accurately, a Virgin Pulse Max) motivating. Every morning, my Max greets me with a "Good morning, Jennifer" and a heart symbol on its screen. It's neat to accumulate activity badges and see my Max smile at me when I achieve my goal steps for the day. It's not cumbersome to use, and the cash incentives are nice.
While the jury is still out on the cost savings related to these worker incentive programs, they are becoming increasingly popular. I like the idea of being rewarded for making healthy choices, and it makes sense on a lot of levels for companies to promote health and wellness among their employees.
And yet.
I admit to some hesitancy, at times, with my Max. Adding another item to my daily "to do" list gets annoying; I have to clip Max on my waistband every morning and unclip it at night. It's a small device and easy to misplace (or for a cat to bat off my bedside table). I have to remember to sync Max regularly to earn my incentives. And, I have concerns about who might be doing what with my data. Who, precisely, is getting to see the data I upload? How much should my employer get to know about my activity? What I eat? How much I'm sleeping?
I also wonder how fair it is for companies to be able to punish employees for not engaging in wellness programs. Although some companies only reward desirable behaviors, some also have financial penalties for employees who refuse to participate and/or have unhealthy behaviors (tobacco being the most common). I worry that some employees may feel financially coerced to participate; they may not feel that they can afford to leave incentive money on the table (or pay penalties).
So, these are the issues I wrestle with when I attach Max to my waistband every morning. I enjoy the motivation, I think companies should promote employee wellness, but I'm bothered by privacy and fairness concerns.
I already know, though, that tomorrow morning I'll clip Max on again.
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