WORK LIFE BALANCE

Work – Life Balance?

Here’s what a “work-life balance” policy looked like in a workplace led by 99% women in management:

Carolina was a young woman driven by a desire for financial independence from an early age. A top student, she worked and studied tirelessly throughout university and landed a permanent, fully qualified job by age 23.

 

She rose quickly but, lacking prior work experience, was assigned to one of the least desirable posts — where her only option was to give her all and wait for better opportunities.

That role, however, offered a range of managerial responsibilities over the years, building the skills and knowledge she would come to rely on. It also gave her a hard-earned education in the realities of work-life balance.

 

 

Eleven years later, she applied for a new job, attracted by the promise of work-life balance benefits for mothers. She landed a temporary position in the city of her dreams and hoped to settle there for good. Though offered a management post, she initially declined — believing it was time to focus on her family.

 

 

But with strong encouragement, she accepted the management offer, openly acknowledging she couldn’t fully commit due to her responsibilities at home: a toddler and a young child.

The pressure was immediate and intense. Carolina realized quickly that she couldn’t manage the demands of the role during such a vulnerable time — both personally and financially. She stepped down, prioritizing her family.

Unexpectedly, external circumstances led to her losing the temporary role altogether — a position she would have kept had she stayed in management.

One year later, Carolina returned to the same workplace — this time in a full-time, permanent role. She embraced management again, enduring seven challenging years that included a major financial crisis, significant childcare responsibilities, and sweeping personal changes.

As time passed, taking leave for childcare, doctor’s visits, or even brief sick days became a constant battle. Her efforts were never enough. Despite her dedication, Carolina was made to feel like her performance fell short — no matter how hard she tried to juggle her roles.

 

Eventually, the strain of balancing childcare at work reached a breaking point. When her ten-year-old was hospitalized for food intolerance testing, Carolina was forced to take unpaid leave — only to later learn she was legally entitled to that time off. Her salary was docked, at a time when every cent counted.

This was THE turning point.

 

She began to see patterns — not isolated incidents — of zero empathy for one-parent families at her office:

• Criticism for leaving meetings (that had run over) to pick up her children.

• Denial of time off to attend teacher-requested school meetings.

• Disapproval of working from home while caring for sick children — even though she was legally entitled to be absent.

• Denial of 15-minute lunch breaks during 12+ hour days starting at 5 a.m.

• Unrecognized work completed during unpaid personal leave.

• Ignored overtime to cover for sick colleagues.

• Hostility for leaving early to attend to a sick child at school.

• Double shifts and weekend work overlooked.

• Unacknowledged multitasking during events that fell on her child’s birthday.

• Official training applications marked «unauthorized.»

• Early Friday sessions scheduled based on a technicality, making it impossible for caregivers.

• Flexible shift requests denied.

• Part-time sick leaves recorded as full-time.

 

Encouraged by her most trusted colleague, Carolina tried to persevere. But the office atmosphere became increasingly toxic.

Eventually, she discovered — after 20+ years — that she could request unpaid personal leave. To avoid further conflict over childcare, she began taking time off lawfully which was not approved normally. She continued to work remotely wherever possible, never abandoning her duties.

 

Then one morning, just before a supervisory visit, she was abruptly told to leave the office. No reason given.

That day, something clicked: It was time to take action and walk away from the persistent injustice. She requested to step back from management permanently.

 

 

She applied for a part-time role in hopes of building a peaceful family life. But what awaited her was a barrage of distressing incidents: surprise meetings held outside of official hours, continuous scrutiny, and ultimately, legal action initiated by former colleagues over unclear accusations. She felt hounded — disrespected, intimidated, and misjudged.

 

 

The final blow came when her supervisor — someone she had supported through personal challenges — called a surprise meeting with senior staff. Carolina was «strongly invited» to transfer workplaces.

She realized then that distorted information had likely been shared behind closed doors. Her methods — creative yet compliant — had been misunderstood or misrepresented.

 

 

 

Carolina remained silent. Took a gap year. Redirected her career. And after fulfilling months of study and personal growth, she returned to work — just before the world shut down due to the pandemic.

 

 

 

After lockdown, her family faced new health issues. Carolina applied for a position far from her former toxic workplace. But her application was immediately rejected — by the same former colleagues still in charge. She was forced to prove she was qualified for that position, which she did. But the resistance and the hostility — it never seemed to end.

 

 

 

Why tell this story?

Because the challenges she faced were real.

Because others only heard one side.

Because judgment was passed without knowing the facts.

 

 

 

 

On ne voit clairement qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible aux yeux (A. de Saint-Exupéry)