"What people don't realize is that there's a difference between a summer vacation and a lifestyle," says Sharon Schuster, editor of Re-Careering Newsletter in Lake Bluff, Illinois. Schuster, who's been studying these changes since 1986 when she was downsized out of a public relations job with AT&T, says geographic cures are like comfort foods.
After several ratings guides recently touted Fayetteville, Arkansas, as the darling of relocators, Schuster tracked down several urban refugees who migrated there in search of a better life. One was former Chicagoan Linda Ray, who moved down at age 50.
To her dismay, Ray discovered that the town's economy didn't greet every transplant with open arms. She found that there wasn't much of a market for her broad communication skills in such a small community. It also didn't help that there was considerable competition for lesser positions from university students and faculty spouses. She'd never imagined it would be so hard for her to get a toehold. She was forced to fall back on the proceeds from the sale of her house to support herself.
Ray saved her career by launching her own marketing services business, eventually narrowing her focus to advertising. By joining the local chamber of commerce and volunteering for several community activities, she slowly integrated herself into the town and achieved the less frenetic pace she had so desired.
Despite her early financial difficulties, she doesn't regret her decision to leave Chicago and is pleased with the new life she's created in Fayetteville. But she warns prospective transplants to be realistic about the employment opportunities. "It could take a good solid year to get established," says Ray, "so you'd better have a full year's living expenses set aside before moving day."
To minimize potential disillusionment, Schuster recommends investigating what it would be like to live elsewhere before packing your bags. Use your vacation time to check out the job market, talk to locals and determine just how feasible your plan is.
"A little reality testing can go a long way," says Schuster. For example, she says that if you plan to start a business, "you'd better make sure there are enough resources available to you. A phone and a fax may not be enough."
Top on her list of "musts": a decent postal system, a good library or research institution and a regional airport.
Alternative Work Arrangements_
Some savvy professionals mitigate the financial risk of moving to a more relaxed town by negotiating to take their current jobs with them. If you can't arrange a transfer, telecommuting may be a viable option. To carve out such an arrangement, though, you need three things; job responsibilities that are truly portable, an employer who doesn't want to lose you, and the ability to remain motivated and self disciplined without traditional office structures.
Telecommuting isn't a license to play hooky on someone else's dollar. It's an alternative work arrangement that buys you a lot more flexibility, but depends on your ability to produce results from afar.
A computer software consultant was transferred from his New Orleans home to Washington, DC. It did wonders for his career but wasn't that great for the rest of his life. After three years, he was terribly homesick for his friends.
He submitted his resignation, intending to return to New Orleans to look for a new job. But since the company valued him greatly, they suggested that he set up an office in his home in New Orleans and remain on their payroll. He accepted eagerly: He loved his job; he just loved New Orleans more.
The arrangement proved win win. Not only does he love the freedom of working at home, he's amazed at how much he actually accomplishes in a day without the distractions of office life. Solutions like these aren't easy to come by. Nor are they dumb luck. They result from on the job brilliance. When you're great at what you do and your bosses appreciate your work, you almost always have more options available to you.
Obviously, brilliance alone won't get you permission for an alternative work arrangement. You'll also probably have to do some skillful prodding of your employer.
When Wall Street Journal columnist Hal Lancaster inter viewed Rosemary Mans, she discussed her desire to carve out more time for her family, without destroying her career credibility with San Francisco based Bank of America. It took a full year of convincing to get the bank to allow her to become a part time vice president of flexibility programs. She admits it was a hard decision and a hard sell. Flexible work options-such as a part time schedule or telecommuting-are generally considered career poison. If you try this approach, you'll probably be considered less committed to the organization, less serious about your career and a nuisance to management (since you're never there when they need you).
Still, if you want to go ahead, there are ways to sell your employer on the idea. For example, you can say that as a part timer, you'll be more focused and productive during the hours you work. You'll be able to provide better customer service because you'll have more energy for it. You might even save your employer some money on benefits (although this isn't a great advantage for you).
Job sharing offers another viable way to balance work and family responsibilities without burning yourself out or destroying your career path. Working Woman magazine recently applauded Laura Palumbo Meier and Loriann Meagher for their career savvy in lobbying Xerox to let them share a sales management position in their Lexington, Massachusetts, office.
No manager had ever asked to job share before. But the former sales rivals (each were 13 year veterans) convinced their bosses to let them try. Now they're among the highest ranking Xerox executives to successfully job share. For those who are interested in more flexible options, Lancaster recommends the following guidelines:
- Don't just ask for favors. Put together a realistic proposal that outlines the performance goals and objectives you'll meet under your new schedule. Meier and Meagher drafted a detailed, 30 page proposal and revised it three times until it adequately addressed the concerns of their immediate boss and the human resources department. In it, they spelled out their schedules, day to day tasks and plans for managing the sales team.
- Make your manager your best friend. Your boss needs to trust you and feel comfortable with your working arrangement. Before Meier and Meagher ever submitted their plan, they talked it over with their boss, Janice Orlando Duplisea. A working mom herself, Duplisea empathized with their concerns and challenged them to convince her they could really make it work. Once the two demonstrated their commitment to the idea, Duplisea became the real catalyst.
- Stay abreast of developments. When you're out of the information loop, it's easy for things to fall through the cracks. Meagher and Meier make it their business to share information so neither one of them will fall from grace. They have a formal communication system to update each other, as well as a flowchart of how issues will be resolved. It's difficult to anticipate every problem that will occur under a more flexible schedule and to have systems in place to resolve them. Thus, you need to have people you trust to keep you informed, or else run the risk of obsolescence.
Meier and Meagher were smart enough to understand that they each had different strengths and weaknesses. They divvied up their responsibilities and schedules accordingly. Example: Since Meagher has an extensive background in leasing and financing, she's responsible for writing up the sales forecasts. Meier, who's stronger at personnel issues, handles the lion's share of employee reviews. But before they finalize and sign off on any documents, they go over them together.
- Make sure that home and family commitments don't completely outweigh work priorities. If you don't adjust your schedule to accommodate true office emergencies, you'll quickly send the message that (a) you're not a team player; and (b) you can't be counted on. After that, don't be surprised to find your credibility seriously in jeopardy. You'll be left out of important meetings, miss out on information (large and small) and generally feel alienated from workplace events.
When you deviate from tradition, you'll undoubtedly encounter some skeptics and critics who prefer conformity to imaginative problem solving. You can follow their tired prescriptions for success or take your cues from someone like Robert Shaw, conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. At the 20th anniversary of the Kennedy Center, Shaw was one of six performing artists honored for a lifetime of achievement. Said Shaw: "The only crescendo of importance is the crescendo of the human heart."
Another musical great gave similar advice. In a conversation between pianist Vladimir Horowitz and Arturo Toscanini, the great conductor cautioned Horowitz to take his own counsel: "If you want to please the critics, don't play too loud, too soft, too fast, too slow."
