Career Advice & News Center

The success of ongoing efforts to establish a suitable balance between one's job responsibilities and personal endeavors depends on a variety of factors, particular to the situation of each individual employee. For example, an unmarried, childless commercial fisherman who revels in the wonders of the great outdoors may find it quite easy to meet the demand of his job while fulfilling personal desires.

But we can't all be so lucky. The methods of striking a sound work-life balance can be directly influenced by the type of job a worker holds and the responsibilities the individual has at home.

According to a recent survey by Mom Corp, an organization which finds part time and home employment for working mothers, a total of 72 percent of women between 25 and 54 years of age feel as though they are working a "second shift" trying to keep up with household duties.

For these women, a part-time job may make familial responsibilities more manageable, especially since many business managers expect to start hiring more mothers in the coming year.

In a recent study of more than 11,000 corporations, Regus, a provider of office support services, found that 46 percent of U.S. firms plan to recruit more mothers for part-time jobs over the next 24 months.

"Businesses have learned that adhering to a rigid nine to five, 5-days-a-week mentality with no room for flexibility can mean sacrificing talented workers," said Guillermo Rotman, Regus' CEO.

He continued, "In a time when companies are focusing on cutting costs and maximizing profitability, firms can't afford to operate without the best and brightest talent available."

Mothers looking for a chance to break into or reenter the workforce should take notice that media and marketing businesses have the greatest level of hiring expectations in the next two years, with 51 percent planning to take on more part-time working mothers.