Impact of a corporate consulting career on family relationships
Impact of a corporate consulting career on family
relationships
Though
management consulting is one of the most rewarding jobs ever, it has also
its share of
disadvantages.
Spouses and “significant others” to management consultants are,
unfortunately, often known to complain of lack of “quality time” with these
“working beings”.
It is commonplace
to hear that management consultants work for at least 60 hours per week. At times, when they’re working on an urgent
project, they have to render up to 80 hours in the office just to beat
deadlines. It is, therefore, surprising
to know that their family life is affected by their hectic schedule. More time for work simply implies less time
for family.
The Downside of traveling
At first,
the concept of traveling excites consultants. An out-of-town trip once a week
is a wonderful opportunity to explore a new place – its culture, food and night
spots. However, as years pass by, management
consultants realize it’s just another assignment they have to deal with, and
they won’t be home for days. The
enthusiasm gradually subsides, and homesickness replaces it. The sad thing is that management consultants
seldom quit consultancy and this just becomes their way of life: They know that they must visit the client’s
office for meetings, presentations, interviews, and sometimes for “working
social events”. This is the job.
Lack of quality time with the family
Due to
frequent trips and necessary overtime at the office, many management consultants
barely spend quality time with the family. Annual reunions and other big family events
are usually scheduled and may be inserted in the organizer, but those simple,
happy moments are often forgone. Many
consultants get home with their kids already sleeping. They miss having dinner together, laughing in
front of the television and doing the storytelling ritual between a parent and
a child. Skipping moments like these can
be a threat to the relationship. It
leads to serious problems, such as wide relationship gaps, miscommunication and
the feeling of neglect on the part of the child, and sometimes even the spouse.
Some
management consultants try to deal with this problem by taking their spouse and
kids a long to where they travel as often as they can. This can be fun for the spouse and kids at
the beginning, but as soon as they realize that they spend most of the time at
the hotel, or elsewhere in the new city, without the company of person that
took them out “on a holiday” the excitement ceases. Of course the challenge of accommodating the
management consultant’s travel schedule, his spouse’s work schedules, if they
are working, and the children’s school programme also means that this little
convenience of enjoying “working holidays” does not come very often.
Managing Time
One of
the top three
success factors of management consultants is
organizational skill. This doesn’t only
include creating a Gantt chart, maintaining a proper folder structure on
your PC or dealing with various forms of communications neatly. This skill can also be used in maintaining
work-life balance so you can allot sufficient time for your personal
commitments.
This is
easier said than done; many consultants are stuck in their work even after
midnight. However, those who are as
committed to their family as they are to their job will always make a way, even
if it means a great deal of sacrifice. These consultants find time to do the
following, among other activities aimed at fostering close family relationships:
i. Communicate regularly with the family,
particularly maximizing the use of technology; they make sure they give
them a call, text, video chat or even just an email
ii. Have meals together once or twice a day;
especially breakfast, when they talk with each other and ascertain that
everyone in the family is doing fine
iii. Check their children’s homework in the
evening, and attend school activities such as parents meetings, sports and
prize giving days
iv. Spend quality days together away from town, on
lazy Sundays, at a mall, at the movies, or visiting friends.
v. Share happy moments together with the family on a
common hobby such as DIY, gardening, go-carting or cooking.