Just Wondering… How Do You Balance Work and Life?

This month's column by Manitowoc (WI) Public Library Youth Librarian Susie Menk is thinking about how we stay balanced when the challenges mount up. And she's wondering....what do you think?

Image by Ralf Kunze from Pixabay

 Leadership in libraries is changing.  There are so many positions that are now available in libraries for managers and directors.  Is this a result of baby boomers retiring? Is this due to the challenges facing libraries? Or is it due to burnout at top levels?

How can staff manage with library leadership understaffed or not there at all?

Our library has been without a director for months now.  Our senior managers have been picking up the slack and recently we also had a manager leave due to health issues.  Yet our doors are still open, programs still need to go on.  Summer is coming and there is so much still to do.  How do we muster forward?  How can leaders keep staff motivated and upbeat for the toughest season of our year? 

Summer is one of the busiest times for public libraries. We have summer reading programs which include lots of extra activities and programming as well as extra staff time for its execution. How do we keep our sanity in this crazy time?

If one thing has become clear during the course of this pandemic, it’s that staff need time away–away from each other, away from service desks, away from the work place.  Staff need to have time to renew and refresh themselves.  Be sure to take walks outside on lunch breaks, read a book during a break to take your mind off whatever is causing stress in your work day, leave work on time and to leave work at work.  

But more than that, staff needs to feel that managers understand and also model good work/life balance.  Are managers remembering to take time off?  Have they left clear expectations or assigned a point person while they are gone?  Are they encouraging staff to take breaks and making sure there is coverage for those breaks? 

In the past, I know our library has offered chair massages, walking groups, and other opportunities for staff to step away from work.  What does your library do to support their managers and staff during the summer?  Do you do staff get-togethers outside of work to blow off steam?  Do you share favorite places or vacations that you have taken?  Do you plan fun staff activities for during the work week just to lighten the mood and increase morale?  Share what you do to help keep the balance!