Thursday, July 4, 2019

Balancing Your Communities and Commitments

It can be hard to balance family and work obligations when working out of town. So what can you do?

Think for a moment about where you live. What do you like about your community? What makes it feel like home?

I’ve spent the last eight years in Fort McMurray, a town where most residents are from somewhere else. It’s a regular conversation:
“Where are you from?”
“Newfoundland.”
“Oh? How long have you been in Fort McMurray?”
“Twenty years.”

Personally, I’ve lived in over 20 houses, as my parents were prone to moving around. My family’s multiple moves were largely motivated by different job opportunities for my father. I’ve known families who have military parents and they are constantly moving. In contrast, my wife’s family lived in the same location for her whole life! Where we live is most certainly tied to where we can find work.

My work as a CLAC representative focuses mostly on our members working in construction. Many of the job opportunities in construction are away from home and as a result, many of our members are used to transient work, moving from job to job wherever the work is, and trying to balance their family life accordingly. CLAC has had a lot of success promoting shift cycles that help support this balance through 14/7 shifts, or 21/7 shifts, or 10/10 shifts (to name a few). These shifts clearly try to promote a balance of working time and home time in a way that is sustainable.

I appreciate more and more the challenge faced by our transient membership—those who work away from home to support their families. They often have a choice; either move their family to a new city to be together at the risk of instability through constantly changing locations, or live in one spot and travel for work, often away from family for weeks at a time.

Our communities are important to us. Our work community, our family community, and the community where we live. It takes effort and time to build positive relationships and feel connected. We are often pulled in multiple directions by the people we love, the work we love, and the satisfaction of building a career. It’s not an easy thing to sort through for any of us, and so I’m glad to participate in the discussion. We at CLAC care deeply about the whole member, both in their workplace, but also in their community.

So think on your home, your community, and your work. Do you have the luxury of a good job close to home? Do you prefer the adventure of moving from place to place while building the infrastructure for society. Whatever it is, how do you structure your life toward a healthy overall well-being?

I sometimes think of the people who make this world meaningful and playful for me. Some of them are at work, some at home, and some in my community. It’s in all of the different ways that I live that I find the balance to stay healthy, feel satisfied, and enjoy life. I wish all our members the same on their journey, wherever they may call home.

If you are struggling to find balance, you aren’t the only one, and you don’t need to face it alone. There are a variety of options, groups, and counselors, some of which you can access through your doctor. CLAC members who are part of a benefits plan also have access to resources through the employee and family assistance program. Check it out if you are struggling to balance the many facets and communities in your life.

Balancing Your Communities and Commitments

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