What is work/life balance? It’s an interesting question, in this age of cell phones and digital everything. We are now issued a laptop on the first day at a new job. The first inclination is to say – “Great!” Wow, I must be important - I get to have a shiny new laptop. Some folks are even luckier – they are provided a company paid cell phone. How fortunate am I? Or, am I…

Now I can log in from home on the weekend. Great, catching up on email, or following up on that meeting I attended on Friday afternoon becomes so easy. With my cell phone, I can connect to my work email address, so I can check those emails all the time…waking up at night because I can’t sleep, I can check my email…before I go to bed after the news I can check email…while I eat breakfast I can check my email…at my grandson’s soccer game I can check my email…

We are all in this crazy working world for a good part of our adult life. We are caught up in the digital mayhem. We’ve got to find time to turn off…shut down…disconnect…find pleasure in watching a grandson’s game, or find the time to enjoy conversation with good friends – digital-free.

Here’s another example – I have the “Find Friends” app on my phone. It is definitely a nice way to keep close to my daughter. But…as a new attorney working in Manhattan, my daughter has this ingrained feeling that she needs to work long and hard to bill as much as she can each month. She leaves for work by 6:30 am each morning. She usually works through lunch, eating a protein bar at her desk. She is generally still at work when I check the app at 9:00 pm. And then, she continues to work when she gets home while her dinner is cooking. Work/Life balance? In my opinion, not even close…

What does our employer expect? Is it reasonable? What do we expect of ourselves? Are we being reasonable? Do we need to overachieve in today’s job market just to survive? How can we satisfy our own work/life balance and still stay competitive, happy and satisfied? What do you think?

Marie Tamala, CDFA is an Associates and the Data/Project Analyst at Cuningham Group Architecture in Minneapolis, MN. 

She currently serves as the 2019-2020 SDA National Vice-President.

Writing many office policies, I cannot count the times that having a template or base document would have proven valuable. I am amazed at how little people are willing to share outside of SDA. However, sharing our experiences, information, and knowledge is a valued benefit, and I am glad to have the opportunity to partake.

A Records Retention Policy may not be what most of us are eager to write; however, they are important. A good policy can help you increase efficiency, productivity, help maintain compliance with the ever-changing regulatory requirements, and minimize storage costs and risk of fines and penalties due to keeping outdated information past its lifetime in the event of a law suit. 

We all can agree that using shared information and templates do not eliminate our responsibility to ensure compliance with our state statutes and regulations. They are not meant to be all-encompassing. Nor is the template that is I am sharing today.  It is merely a good place to start.

If you are developing a policy for your firm, it is advisable to have a Principal/Owner review it, and if possible, have your legal advisor "bless" it too.

You can find a Sample Records Retention Policy Template here.

What policy templates do you need or do you have that others might benefit from? Share your thoughts in the comment box below. 

Brooke Simcik, CDFA is the Business Manager for VAI Architects Incorporated in Dallas, Texas.

She currently serves as the SDA 2019-2020 National President.

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