Marjorie V.

Ballesteros
PhD 720

LAURA’S EMPLOYMENT DATA: A CASE STUDY

BACKGROUND: Laura Gomez worked in budget office for 12 years and found the work

to be tedious and boring. To deviate from the routinary work, she enrolled and completed

her Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) program at the University of Southern

California. During her academic program, she concentrated on nonprofit and volunteer

management. She is a single parent of two children, 8 and 10 years of age and would

want to be available to participate in their lives on a daily basis. She has received several

job offers. First job: From a management consulting firm in the Midwest interested in doing

more public sector work; salary is higher than expected to receive as an entry-level;

expected to travel approximately 80% of the time. Second job: From a nonprofit

organization in Los Angeles that has been in existence for about five years; she is

expected to handle all aspects of its finances, including fundraising; salary is lower than

what she was making before she returned to school but with successful fundraising her

salary would increase.; job would require very little traveling. Third job: From the federal

government in Washington, DC; she would be fully trained to work in an area in which

she has worked before, but she is known to pay a great deal of attention to detail, to have

good interpersonal skills, and to be a fast learner; salary is higher than what she was

making prior to entering the MPA program but not as high as that offered by the consulting

firm in the Midwest.

CASE EVALUATION: As I can relate to Laura’s situation, I would recommend her to get

the job at the nonprofit organization in Los Angeles to handle all aspects of its finances

and fundraising. As a fast learner, she can easily adapt to the responsibilities she shall

hold. Salary may be lower but in the beginning but with successful fundraising, her salary

would increase. This would be her motivation in achieving both the organization’s and

her goal. Above all else, she will be at close proximity to her children.

I believe that if you have a healthy work-life balance, you will be more likely to have

the mental and emotional stamina to give your children the loving attention they require

to grow, learn, and flourish. A well-balanced lifestyle can also help you enjoy life, manage

stress, and avoid workplace burnout. You may also develop yourself and have a solid

growth mind-set toward your profession by focusing on the career anchors, which are

security or stability, service/dedication to a cause, and lifestyle.

Living a balanced life is an ideal work environment or position for me. Managers

and supervisors should be responsible for informing employees about the benefits of

work-life balance because assisting employees in achieving it enhances their job

satisfaction. Managers and supervisors can foster a healthy work atmosphere by praising

employees' efforts to improve their performance. Employers strive to finish their

responsibilities within the specified time frames. Some people go above and beyond,

working unpaid hours to guarantee that their work is completed flawlessly and on time.

Employees who are rewarded for their efforts are more likely to do more in the future.

When employers, on the other hand, refuse to recognize such efforts, employees begin

to make excuses for bad performance.