What is Work / Life Balance?
Well we all know when our balance is out. It seems like we are spending so much time at the office and we don't have enough time for the other aspects in our lives which can be defined as your personal life and community life .
Your personal life can be defined as family time, fitness, eating well, personal administration, caring for yourself , etc. etc.

Community life may be defined as charity work, church activities and those sorts of things.
As we all know, it is sometimes difficult to fit all of these things into 24 hrs a day. Therefore the aim is to work smarter rather than harder; some companies are coupling a few of these things together.

In an attempt to bring some of these things into employees work life , companies introduce initiatives like CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility ) and Environmental teams to the work in the environment which contribute to the community through fundraising, work or actions. By contributing or participating, you can do your bit for the community. Also the various social functions and sporting activities organized by your work colleagues can be considered as contributions to your personal life by interacting with your work mates on a different level in a less formal manner. These schemes and initiatives are championed by companies promising a greater work/life balance and a sense of fulfillment and good community spirit, but do they create a better work/life balance ? If you are carrying out activities with work mates is it creating a work/work balance with a bit of "unofficial" teambuilding thrown in for good measure? Or is it indeed creating better employees who will feel more balanced and happier that the company provides an opportunity to align their Work/Life Balance?

Provided by Scott Pearson, Turner Townsend
Young Chamber Sub Committee Member

We all have good days and bad days....some days you feel good, some not so good. Ever thought it might be what you're eating ??
Do you all eat breakfast ?? Do you eat regular meals ? Do we combine the right foods? For the right reasons?

It is said that anything containing "yeast" can cause fatigue, excessive bloating... salt cravings and all that nasty unhealthy-ness (and sometimes smelly-ness) through the day. So, the best news is that if we follow some simple rules; high energy foods ; eat good fuels to keep our lights burning bright and our gas un-offensive we can stop the mood swings , the lack of concentration (the 3 pm slump), fight fatigue and banish this nasty little demon from our workplace and make your day easier to get through.

A good example is Oats - Oats for Brekkie are the biz, make your own muesli, or porridge for these cold mornings. Oats not only have mega amounts of energy, but they keep your blood glucose levels at an even keel. Oats help you to maintain more concentration, keep you alert, sustain energy and attention.... who's lost their oats??
What works for you?

Provided by Scott Pearson, Turner Townsend
Young Chamber Sub Committee Member

Several months back I was watching a segment on this very topic, screened on Australia's Current Affairs program. It featured two young ladies who appeared to be living the life of luxury\'85until the revelation everything was purchased on credit . And the scary thing was, it was going to take most of their existence to pay back the money they owed the bank!

Debts of up to $70,000 were racked up on cars, fancy rental apartments, hair extensions, clothing, makeup, nails, and nights out on the town. Sure, at face value they were beautiful, confident and glamorous women. But deep down, they were drowning at the hands of their creditors.

I myself have been a victim of the 'freedom' a credit card can bring. When I was 18 I signed up over the internet for a card with a $2000.00 limit. I was short on cash, paying high rent with a job that netted me peanuts. The feeling of having that much money was exhilarating, and of course the elation of being able to purchase up big at the shops was hard to resist. A short while later, a letter came in the mail offering to increase my credit limit a further $1,000.00. I signed on the dotted line and two became 3. It was all so easy at the time!

The sad reality was it took me almost 4 years to pay that back, plus interest. All I had to show for it was frivolous junk. I vowed to never use my credit card unless the only option for a purchase was credit and I had the money to pay it back straight away. I am glad to have learned that lesson and now pride myself on my money management skills .

To this day, I still receive letters from my bank offering to increase my credit limit. Although I am wise to the dangers of a credit card , the majority out there are not. What frustrates me in these tough economic times is banks continually loaning young customers' money who they know
A) Have no experience in money management and
B) Don't have the ability to pay it back.

Yes these customers are entitled to make their own decisions, but should the banks hold an element of responsibility to ensure we don't become a generation owned by them??

Provided by Karen Houlihan, ARUP
Young Chamber Sub Committee Member