The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health recently published a report sharing workplace recommendations business leaders and employers should consider as they strive to support mental health in their workplaces.
One of the suggested findings was to encourage flexibility in work-life balance and work arrangements. Being flexible and supporting alternative working arrangements means team members to take time during regular work hours to address personal needs and other life tasks (e.g. support children with schooling, take a sick pet to the vet). This provides a greater sense of control and accomplishment plus reduces overall stress. Ultimately, this flexibility in the workday has a direct impact on team members’sense of personal wellness and mental health.
Alicia Fowler CPA, CA has experienced first-hand the benefits of this type of flexibility. She shares with CPA Assist how incorporating more professional flexibility has increased her personal wellness and her ability to enjoy all aspects of her life. “Flexibility has always been super important to me as a professional and even more so now that I’m a mom to two little girls,” she explains. “Flexibility means a lot of different things to me as a professional and working mom, including having space in my life to commit to the things that are important to me and means having the ability to choose how I work and with whom I work.”
Below are a few key ideas from Alicia to help other CPAs incorporate flexibility in their professional lives and find a work-life balance to protect their time and mental health.
1. Trust your gut and listen to what you need
Be honest with yourself about what you need and what your priorities for the day need to be. Flexibility is a work in progress and a way of life that means different things to everyone, and it changes. One day, flexibility may mean having time to visit with your grandmother in the hospital and another day it might be choosing the type of work you want to do. “Flexibility is a privilege; I think as CPAs we are privileged to have the option to prioritize flexibility in our careers,” Alicia adds.
2. Set clear boundaries
Once you’ve figured out what is important to you, you need to protect your time around those things. The best way to do that is to set clear boundaries for yourself and the people relying on you, in order to make sure that your priorities stay front and centre. One strategy that has worked well for Alicia is reserving “flex time” hours. “I block big chunks of time off in my calendar for myself to use as flex time; some weeks this flex time is used to do art projects with my daughters and other times I use it to meet last-minute client deadlines.”
3. Involve and inform your key relationships
For the success of most relationships, communication is key. Expressing and managing expectations is part of building relationships and fostering connection and accountability. “I involve my team members and clients in the time planning process to make sure that everyone gets the time and space they need to focus on what’s important to them,” she says. “Sharing appropriate information with my team, my clients, and my family about where I’m at with commitments and emotions is critical to taking care of myself and prioritizing flexibility.”
Alicia’s final thoughts reinforce the power of protecting your most valuable personal resources. “Time is the most important commodity; it’s important to protect it. This strategy has certainly been a game-changer for my family.”
Do you have a wellness story you want to share with your fellow CPAs? Email us at contact@cpa-assist.ca.
CPA Assist provides confidential counselling services and 24/7 crisis support to Alberta and Saskatchewan CPAs, candidates, and their immediate families. To book an appointment through CPA Assist, call 1-855-596-4222 or email cpaforbes@telus.net.