CIO — DIEGO SAENZ TOOK HIS FAMILY to a florida resort for Memorial Day weekend this year. While there, Saenz, the former CIO of Pepsi Latin America and Wackenhut who’s now president and COO of Intelligent Content, conducted what amounted to a family performance evaluation. He and his wife wrote out an annual set of objectives and talked about what should change and what shouldn’t, even consulting their 3- and 7-year-old sons. They then made a master plan to reflect everyone’s wishes and goals, linking all their work, church, school and personal priorities in one place.
Is this the dark side of the blurring of work and personal life? Is it the Management by Objective methodology taken too far? Far from it, Saenz says; by consciously prioritizing the demands on his time, he is acting on the importance of his family to him. "This is the sort of thing we do with staff all the time. Why not with family?" says Saenz, whose company is based in Weston, Fla. "When we get home, we often forget the same principles that make us successful at work."
In a time when work tends to intrude on personal time, particularly for executives, it’s necessary to prioritize both so that work doesn’t overwhelm and family life isn’t neglected. Get on your friends’ and family’s calendars?and put them on yours. "It sounds cold, but you really do have to schedule time with your family," says Gary Baxter, CIO and vice president of Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Co. (MEMIC) in Portland. "I have appointments with my wife and kids. And I would no more miss that time with my family than I would a performance evaluation with my boss or some other crucial appointment."
R&R: Recruitment and Retention
In recent years, the issue of work-life balance has become increasingly important to CIOs. As companies ratcheted up performance demands on IT organizations amid a high-tech labor shortage, managers faced an especially difficult challenge: how to get the most out of employees without driving them away into easily accessible greener pastures.
So now that the slowing economy has eased labor market pressures, is it no longer necessary to offer family- and lifestyle-friendly practices? That’s a shortsighted view?flexible work arrangements remain valuable tools in any CIO’s hiring and retention strategy, says Rebecca Rhoads, CIO and vice president of Raytheon, the Lexington, Mass.-based defense contractor. IT work is intense, sometimes requiring long hours and weekend work. Sensitivity to work-life concerns makes such sacrifices agreeable to all. "When you help people find balance or work through difficult stretches in their lives, you say, We want to be partners for the long haul," Rhoads says.
