Cebu Normal University (CNU) educators were given tips on how to create work-life balance through a webinar to help them cope with the challenging situation brought by the pandemic.

The webinar entitled Creating Work-Life Balance was conducted last Friday, October 23, 2020, via the Zoom platform that was attended by CNU College of Teacher Education (CTE) and Integrated Laboratory School (ILS) teachers. 

The webinar was organized by CNU-CTE and spearheaded by Dr. Janet Mananay, Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) Program Chair.

“In this time of pandemic, as our academic tasks are suddenly shifted remotely, our focus has been stirred as well…personal needs are somehow overlooked in favor of serving others,” Dr. Ethel Abao, CNU-CTE Dean said to her fellow academicians. 

She said that there is a need to capture or recapture certain coping mechanisms for teachers, parents, spouses, children, and community leaders to still become proactive in life and work with the challenges brought by the health crisis. 

Dr. Daisy Palompon, CNU Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) said that the webinar is designed to be an avenue for teachers to gain insights and acceptance on the current realities with the demands of work and home responsibilities that are pushing and pulling them in different directions.

Mr. Rhoderick John Abellanosa, Director of Human Resource at Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu was invited as the guest speaker where he provided techniques and coping mechanisms to create a balance between work and personal life.

He shared strategies on how to cope with the work from home setup and guided the participants on how to develop their work-life balance plan.

Abellanosa shared and discussed the two variables of work-life balance – time and the social environment. 

He said that it is difficult to accomplish work-life balance individually but should be planned and managed collectively as departments, as colleges, and as a University.  

“If we want to create a space where people feel more life in where they are, the space should also be a nurturing space,” he said. 

Abellanosa said that space does not only entail physical space but also relationships. He added that space should allow employees to grow in their fullness as persons.

He also shared that work-life balance has a relation to mental health and that time and space also relate to the behavioral dynamics of workers and must be taken into consideration.

He also emphasized that stress is part of life and is a necessary effect of change. He recommended that employees should have open communication in the workplace and that a clearer feedback mechanism should be in place.

“Anything that would make you feel tired would no longer make your life meaningful and at some point, it has to be stopped at least temporarily in order to regain balance,” Abellanosa said.

The webinar ended with Mananay encouraging her fellow teachers to remember to enjoy life and to be each other’s keeper. She imparted that management of time and self-care are both important. (JDF) 

Photo grabbed from the Facebook post of Dr. Janet Mananay