“I have always struggled to allocate enough time for the family. Though I have taken the resolution a number of times not to take phone calls on weekends, I have never managed to keep it up,” says Wael al Lawati. He disagrees with the concept of work-life balance. “It sounds as if while working one does not have a life. For me it is about work-family balance.”
Lawati ensures that he takes his family out either for dinner, to a shopping mall or to a place of their choice at least once a month. Fridays are mostly spent in the company of his three children, though not without the cellphone ringing occasionally. He makes an effort to have dinner with his family everyday but sometimes that is not possible. “There are social commitments that one cannot say no to as most of them are reciprocal in nature.”
Finally he admits his debt to his wife, Alia al Farsi. “She has been extremely supportive. Ours has been a relationship in which there have been a lot of sacrifices on her behalf and numerous broken promises on my part.”
Spousespeak
Alia al Farsi
We have tried to adjust our lifestyle and hours in view of growing demands and various commitments. Sometimes the only time we have is when I am painting and he sits there inhaling the paint and pretending it doesn’t affect him.
Striking a balance
Rajiv Singh
Partner
Ernst & Young
“With the work environment becoming competitive, the line between office hours, non working hours and weekends is getting increasingly blurred. With e-mail enabled mobile phones, executives are expected to be on call around 18 hours a day,” says Rajeev Singh.
Singh has set some ground rules for himself. “I try my best not to carry work home, even if it means spending a couple of extra hours at work to finish something urgent.” His mobile phone is switched off at ten in the night and the voice mail is activated. Over the years, clients and colleagues have come to understand and appreciate his personal time.
A firm believer in spending a lot of time with children, quality time is not a preferred option for Singh. Whether it is being in the pool with his daughter Jiya or teaching her how to cycle without training wheels, he is ready to walk that extra mile.
Singh has been blessed with a son, Arhaan, in December. He and his wife have now decided to cut down on parties and outings. An avid reader and a squash and football enthusiast, Singh realises that it is time to put his hobbies on the hold. “As Jiya grew, in the last couple of years we started going out more often, but with Arhaan it is time to revert to home sweet home.”
Spousespeak
Dhanashree Singh
“I understand that when it comes work it is non negotiable. One needs to strike a balance between one’s work and family. It requires time and extra effort. Rajeev does make that effort, at least for the
children.”
Time well spent
Dominic Myers
General manager
Matrah Cold Stores
“One of the joys of working in Oman is that one gets to spend time with one’s family,” says Dominic Myers. He points out the three things that make this possible. The travel time in Muscat is significantly less than in Europe or Dubai. Second, one gets fairly long vacations which gives one a lot of time with family. Finally, since there are a lot of support services like domestic help or gardener unlike in Europe, the time saved on doing household chores is spent with family.
As a rule he tries not to carry work home and is usually back by eight in the evening. While his office finishes at 6.30 pm he is off to the gym three times a week. He also has to squeeze in time for his other responsibilities like attending meetings of the board of governors of the British School Muscat, of which he is the chairman.
Fridays are spent in the company of his three children, Arabella, Barnaby and Jemima. He helps the children with their homework, Friday being the only day in the week when he gets time to do that. In the afternoon he usually takes the family to for lunch.
He is a firm believer in quality time. Myers feel that more than the quantity of time spent with one’s family, making the most of the available time is more important. “I have to say that my wife Sharon is an outstanding contributor to everything that the children do and I am grateful for it.”
Spousespeak
Sharon
While his work remains his true love, Dominic makes an effort to spend quality time with the family. When he is around he puts in a lot of effort. So while he does not spend as much time as he should, when he is there he is quite good.
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