A great Star article |

A great Star article

Published by Carin February 26th, 2007 in General, Avo in the media

Avo had another article written by Jules in the Star Workplace today. It’s titled ‘Striking a balance between work and play’.

The article is about how Avo has managed to tackle some of the work-life balance issues that face many companies, and in particular managers, these days.

Jules mentions some key points on how Avo has managed to tackle this situation, which might be useful for other companies too (some of which is quoted from the article):

Lose the “work/life” myth: Work is life. Life without work would be without meaning. Once you see work and life as part of the wholeness of who you are, you can change your experience of life very positively.

Stretch the definition of where work takes place: At Avo, because work is life, we like people to decide for themselves how they would like to manage their workload. Set up the environment and leave it up to them. They will construct their lives in a way and rhythm that suits them best, but also delivers on business needs.

Beautiful spaces are important: It’s so important for people to sometimes pause, look up and take in the beauty of our natural world. It’s soul-food. And feeding people’s souls is part of making work and life work together.

Relationships at work keep us invested: At Avo, we have a mantra we all subsribe to: “who you are, is enough”. We work hard at building mature, honest and sustainable relationships at work. Research has shown that people are more likely to stay in a company when they have solid, invested relationships with people there.

Engaging the whole person: As ‘work’ and ‘life’ become more and more part of the same concept, we have to get better at enabling people to live at work. It’s not easy to make the framework shift, but challenge yourself to create a working space that engages your people in their wholeness - you will reap the rewards in so many ways!

Great article Jules, and not a bad picture either!.

7 Responses to “A great Star article”

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1 Elaine Feb 26th, 2007 at 6:52 pm

As I think through the whole Lottery experience, and as I am confronted with the whole issue of work and home, I realise that because of the Avo approach to work, the time constraints and the intensity of the project necessitates that I need to be involved completely. I am absoluetly ok with that because as Jules says : Work is no longer defined in terms of time or a space but rather in terms of the ability to apply yourself to the job at hand and then negotaite time as you require it.

Well done on a lovely article Jules !!!
2 Honeybluebelle Feb 26th, 2007 at 8:20 pm

Kuel, Jules. Thanks for creating a space for me where I can create my own work rhythms and set my own goals. I consistently achieve more than I ever thought I could!
3 jeanette Feb 27th, 2007 at 8:17 am

Now, i am one of those people who naturally struggle to get a work, life balance. I don’t stand a chance - i am an analytical driver personality type, with achiever and maximiser as strengths - get the picture!! So i go, go, go…..and then contary to the energiser advert, this energiser bunny falls over!!! Then, i am gently picked up by Jules, Elaine and my colleagues - and yep, they tell me to try get a balance and slow down - but nope - as soon as i am up standing again - the rubber side goes down again and with a flurry of burning rubber and skid marks - i am off again…..
BUT - i am not to despair - help is here - and it is epitomised in Jule’s article and in the Avo working space and ethos, because i am starting to learn and exprience through working at avo, this work, life balance thing….. i am starting to appreciate, that who i am is enough and i am been given the opportunity to learn how to cope with my work load in a rhythm that suits me - i certainly have not got it right and there will be skid marks down the highway, as i take off or from breaking down, but the point is, and this is the most precious of all, is that i have the space to try get it right!
4 AnaB Feb 27th, 2007 at 8:37 am

Yo Jules, you make me proud to be an Avo! Thank you for creating a beautiful work space, I feel at home here, amongst the Avo’s. Well done!
5 yojules Feb 27th, 2007 at 8:43 am

Jeanette - you touched my heart today! Well done for being brave enough to keep on working at this stuff, even though it is so incredibly hard to do. I amwatching your space with love and pride!
6 Carin Mar 19th, 2007 at 6:20 pm

Jules received a wonderful comment on her article from MaryLou Giliam of Brenmar Enterprises:

“Hi Jules

I was delighted to see your article in The Workplace last night and read it with great interest. If all business owners/managers thought like you, the workplace would be a far happier place - I really loved the whole buzz of your article and it just entrenched in my mind what a wonderful company Avo is. I have always enjoyed my interaction with your people and I am sure that their happiness (which is evident to your clients and service providers) is a function of the way they are managed. Well done, Jules, and I really hope that the exposure brings much new business to Avo.

Keep up the good work!

Best wishes,
MaryLou”
7 Carin Mar 28th, 2007 at 3:00 pm

Another FABULOUS comment!:

Dear Jules

I had re-read your article that was published in the Daily News “Workplace” supplement no less than 7 times! I then decided it is one of those ‘jewels’ you come across, once in a while, that HAD to be shared!

So over a couple of cups of coffee I read your article to my small group of girlfriends. We found your statement, “I believe that once you see work and life as part of the wholeness of who you are, you can change your experience of life very positively” extremely powerful and thought provoking, yet so simple and true!!!

Some of us have made the connection without having to change our situations, for others, it has meant making changes. Either way, you have changed each of our lives forever! For me personally, I’m excited about work and life!!!!!

So, from a FHM model (Fabulously Hormonally Mature) and friends (they are still in denial)…

Thank You!!!!

Sincerely,
Marie Antoinette Meier

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