Building and maintaining a career as a successful executive takes talent, hard work and good fortune. But do the demands of the boardroom leave any space for family life?

Not every executive wants to get married or have children. But for those who do there is undoubtedly a challenge when it comes to striking the right balance between work and family.

Australia is often called “the lucky country”. With its warm climate and 16,000 miles of coastline it is an appealing place to live and work. But that doesn’t mean Australians necessarily enjoy a lot of free time.

An OECD index of 40 leading economies ranked Australia 31st for the number of employees working very long hours. This was defined as 50 hours per week or more. At 13 per cent of employees, Australia was above the OECD average of 11 per cent.

The pressure faced by senior executives can often lead to them working long hours. Whether it is the need or desire to be the first person to arrive and the last to leave. Or just the workload as they try to hit their targets and out-perform their rivals.

Struggling to strike a balance

Australians do $110 billion of unpaid overtime every year, according to figures from the Australian Institute (TIA). And while the majority didn’t believe they had a good work life balance, three quarters of people surveyed by the TIA said they would not earn less in order to improve it.

This is often the perception, especially in senior roles. In order to be successful you need to make sacrifices. But working long hours can have a detrimental affect on your health. And it can also put pressure on your family life.

Combining a family with work is the norm in Australia. The Melbourne Institute’s HILDA study revealed that in 68 per cent of couples with children under 18, both parents worked. And among single parents, 56 per cent were working.

Among the majority of couples surveyed by HILDA at least one partner experienced what it termed “high conflict” between work and family life. In 18 per cent of cases, both partners experienced high conflict. This in turn had a damaging impact on their health and wellbeing.

When it comes to managing these challenges, senior executives do of course have an advantage in that they earn more money. Money always creates options, whether that’s a bigger house, an easier commute or even hired help for childcare and domestic tasks.

In her famous book, Lean In, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg called for women to make the most of their early careers before having a family. Her argument was that too many women thought about balancing a career and a family far too early and allowed it to stall their progress.

She urged women to “keep their foot on the gas pedal” until they wanted to have children so that they would be making decisions about how to balance work and family from a stronger position. An executive who has been promoted into a senior position would be more likely to be able to afford childcare or to negotiate more flexible working arrangements than someone in a more junior role.

The counter to Sandberg’s rallying cry is that women are already working harder than men for the same or less money. Research by the Women’s Forum Australia, an advocacy group, warned that working longer hours in paid and unpaid employment mean that women were facing a declining quality of life.

As businesses face pressure from shareholders, staff and customers to improve their record on gender equality, work-life balance will remain a hot topic. Providing more flexibility is seen as a vital move for attracting more women into top jobs.

If Australia’s boardrooms are to become more diverse, businesses will need to find ways to make it easier for their leaders and senior executives to have both a career and family life.

Salt & Shein are experts at helping ambitious executives build successful careers. Contact us for a confidential conversation.