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Tuesday, April 24, 2012 - Milos and Mattias - FULL CONTACT
Milos and Mattias - FULL CONTACT
Milos Zambo and Mattias Solich are two great guys. We got them together and sest up this Meditation scenario, as a visitor had bought a Buddha mask that Boris wanted to include in the scene. Mattias walks into the room, with a candle and places it on the altar. Milos arrives as well, kneels to light his candle. As he is kneeling opposite Mattias we see his cock bobbing under his robe, as he closely watches Mattias. Milos uncovers his cock, which is rock hard. Mattias opens his eyes and sees Milos kneeling in front of him, his hard cock sticking right out in front. Milos stands and moves towards Mattias, with his cock just at mouth level. Mattias opens his mouth and takes the head of that big cock in it. He begins to suck it, gently. Milos' hand holds the back of Mattias head in place as his cock is sucked. Mattias own cock is rock hard too, as he works his mouth over Milos'. Mattias then lays down and Milos kneels over his face so that his cock and balls can be licked. Then Milos wants some of Mattias hot ass. He lays down and Mattias sits his ass down on that throbbing cock. Milos begins to fuck upwards into Mattias tight hole, with Mattias' massive thighs astride him. Mattias leans back and lets Milos get to work on that ass, his cock going in real deep. Mattias loves the feel of that cock deep in his ass, and lifts his legs in the air as Milos pounds his hole. Mattias then turns around and sits back down on Milos' dick and begins to ride up and down on it. He leans forward and kisses Milos as he fucks himself onto that big, fat cock. A change to a spoon position gives Milos more control of his fucking and he really starts to fuck Mattias deep, with long, smooth strokes. As his ass is fucked so deep Mattias wanks himself and blows a huge, creamy load over his leg. Milos loves the feel of that ass wrapped tight around his cock and soon he needs to cum as well. He pulls out and shoots his load on Mattias to bring a lovely scene to a close.
... more about Milos and Mattias - FULL CONTACT further in this newsletter
Our Coming Soon Set Preview
We had already done solo shoots and a Broke Czech Boys with Albert Kroka and wanted to push him a bit further, so we paired him with Kaja Kolomaz for a screentest, to see how he would do. Kaja starts off by interviewing Albert and then begins to kiss him. Albert responds to the kisses and things are underway. Soon Albert's top is bare and the kissing continues. Kaja removes his top too and begins to kiss Albert's chest and nipples. Albert wants to show he can do it too and responds in kind. Then Kaja is feeling Albert's cock, thru his jeans, and soon they come off so that Kaja can suck that hard dick. His mouth works up and down on Albert's cock, lips closed tightly around it. Albert loves it and is rubbing Kaja's back as he is sucked. Soon Kaja kisses Albert again, then it is his turn to be sucked. Albert shows he can do it, as he is on his knees, head bobbing up and down on that big cock. Kaja puts his hands on Albert's head and pushes it down onto his cock. Albert then moves up and kisses Kaja again. Kaja gets on his knees and presents his ass to Albert, who duly starts to lick it. His tongue works up and down the crack, settling on that hairy hole, as Kaja wanks himself. Albert is soon ready to go further and begins to finger that tight hole. Firstly with just one finger and then with two. When he judges it is ready he climbs on and pushes his big, thick cock into the waiting hole. He fucks that ass nice and deep, building up the speed as Kaja continues his wanking. Kaja is moaning with each thrust of Albert's cock. He clearly likes that dick in his ass as his cock stays rock hard. A change of position has Kaja sitting down on Alberts throbbing cock and riding it as he wanks himself. Kaja is really turned on by it all and wants some ass as well, so they swap places and Kaja fucks his rock hard cock into Albert's ass. He loves that hole and moves Albert to lay on the bed so he has better access and fucks him real hard and fast. Albert feels it deep and is moaning as his ass gets fucked. Kaja cant hold back and shoots his load over Albert who takes the cock in his mouth to clean it off. Then it is Albert's turn and he dumps a big creamy load over Kaja's face, and in his mouth. Kaja loves it and suck that spent cock to drain it completely. Then he stands and kisses Albert to bring his screentest to an end. Albert certainly proved that he is up for anything in this scene, with Kaja again showing us how good he is too.
You can watch my Vlog for this Newsletter by clicking above or by going over to the Blog : http://www.wheuro.com/?p=9968
Yesterday, I went to the hospital for my three month post-op checkup. (It's hard to imagine it's been three months since the operation.) I learned some new information. The surgeon asked me about any problems. I said, 'well the swelling is not going down as quickly as I'd like.' He replied, 'it can take up to a year for the swelling to go completely down.' So, much for Google searches. Second problem, the wires didn't do their jobs on the lesser toes. He said he'd try to correct the problem with orthopedic inserts. If that doesn't work, another operation might be necessary. 'Fat chance,' I thought. I also have a complete assortment of toe separators from before the operation. They hold the lesser toes in place, thank you very much. The very good thing about the operation: I can now wear 'normal' shoes, which I haven't been able to do for probably about six years.
I don't feel stupid buying many pairs of xxwide shoes to be muled over from the States. The brand I love, Drew, is not available in Europe. If it takes a year for the swelling to go down completely, I can do an Imelda Marcos and throw out all of the too wide shoes when it does, and BUY SOME MORE!
I am able to walk a little bit better and less painfully each day. Yesterday, I took Aida on two relatively long walks. However, I think walking tours of places like Venice or shooting the Battle of Austerlitz is out for this year. That's the wages. But who knows? The really good aspect of yesterday's checkup, is I'm no longer worried that something's wrong about the foot still being swollen. And that swelling goes down a little each day. Hopefully, I can quite boring you so much about the operation from here on out. I do think I'll be able to work on outdoor shoots this summer as, rustic as the locations are, they are usually not great hikes from the parking lot.
On Saturday, we shoot our monthly Wank Party. I'll be there with twinkle toes. The cast is looking quite promising.
I love the sets for today's newsletter, starting with that fabulous shoot with Milos Zambo and Mattias Solich. Also featured are nude submission wrestling with Honza Biskal and Sebastian Mecta as well as Janda Micka's Erotic Video, Albert Kroka's Erotic Video and Tomas Jirasko's Session Stills.
Our castings today are Tomas Pohan and Jirka Houzar, as well as one other that is not yet online. I wont do a pick of today, since I don't know who the third guy is, as I am preparing this.
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Today's Weather in Prague
We have launched our all new Kink only site with no solos. It's not for the feint hearted. Do take a look (if you dare):
At present, Members of CzechGuysNextDoor will be able to access the new site with their user information. If you have problems, write email@example.com
Latest Sets At Our NEW STR8HELL.com Website
Open Set "Paul, Kaja and Honza - RAUNCHY"
Open Set "Lukas Pribyl - SPANKING"
Members of CzechGuysnextDoor.com - to log in the member's section of the new STR8HELL website use your present username and password, if you forgot your password or encounter a log in problem please feel free to contact us at: firstname.lastname@example.com
Non-members - you are welcome to browse our complete content - each regular set contains free video preview and free photos, if you decide not to become a member of our website you can also buy sets separately (we huge, well organized and easy to search library of models - there is always few models you may like) you can pay only for what you really want see ;-). You are always welcome to come back.
All members of www.CzechGuysNextDoor.com get a free access to STR8HELL.com till the end of November 2011!
Please use your present CzechGuysNextDoor username and password to log into the members area.
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Direct access to CzechGuysNextDoor.com website is now through the link: archive.czechguysnextdoor.com or through "Archive Sets 2004-2011" links on the new STR8HELL website.
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William Higgins
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Please remember that most of the videos available on BurnDVD are easily able to be downloaded with a single link, but some of the very large files, such as the newsletter DVDs have to be split into three separate links, as detailed below.
The videos with very large file sizes are now split into more than one part, using a program called HJSplit. If you wish to buy one of these larger videos to Burn to DVD, you will receive a link for file and then it is a simple process to join the downloaded files together to make the .iso file for Burning to DVD.
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The BurnDVD manual is easy to follow, with a step by step guide. Burning a DVD is easy to do, though it is helpful if you have previously burned DVDs or CDs.
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Today we have Milos Zambo and Mattias Solich and Honza Biskal vs Sebastian Mecta – Nude submission wrestling and CFNM Bunny Bashing part 3 and Tomas Vraga's Spanking.
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Three points A, B and C lie in this order on a line, and P is any point in the plane. Use the Cosine Rule to prove the following statement.
Some diagrammatic 'proofs' of algebraic identities and inequalities.
Prove that if the integer n is divisible by 4 then it can be written as the difference of two squares.
The diagram illustrates the formula: 1 + 3 + 5 + ... + (2n - 1) = n² Use the diagram to show that any odd number is the difference of two squares.
Imagine starting with one yellow cube and covering it all over with a single layer of red cubes, and then covering that cube with a layer of blue cubes. How many red and blue cubes would you need?
We can show that (x + 1)² = x² + 2x + 1 by considering the area of an (x + 1) by (x + 1) square. Show in a similar way that (x + 2)² = x² + 4x + 4
Can you find all the 4-ball shuffles?

subset: commoncrawl


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5 Ocean-Inspired Eyeshadows
5 Ocean-Inspired Eyeshadows
When I think of the ocean, I think of blue, green, and teal all merged into one. Depending on the depth and clarity of the water, you might a really smoldering blue, maybe something closer to blackened blue, and at other times, a beautiful translucent aqua blue. I could have easily chosen five more shades for this topic, LOL! There were so many amazing shades to choose from.
- Illamasqua Burst — matte blue-teal
- Le Metier de Beaute Midnight Sky — shimmering blackened blue
- NARS South Pacific — clear aqua blue
- MAC Freshwater — perfect medium blue
- Maybelline Tenacious Teal — silver-shimmered light-medium blue


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The Oaxaca II and Oaxaca IV wind farms each have an installed capacity of 102MW comprising 68 1.5MW turbines, and are based in the Oaxaca region in southern Mexico. The bonds for the projects raised $148.5 million and $150.2 million respectively.
Acciona's local subsidiary Acciona Energìa Mexico will use the funds raised by the bonds to pay off the projects' existing bank debt facilities and other costs.
Both bonds will run until December 2031 and guarantee investors a return of 7.25%. They were given an investment grade credit rating of BBB- by both Standard and Poor's and Fitch, thanks largely to their 20 year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Mexico's state-owned utility Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE).
The overall breakdown of investor type saw allocations of 2% to private banks, 10% to hedge funds, 27% to life insurers and 61% to pension funds.


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fuzzylogic wrote:I am the most level headed guy you'd ever want to meet.
Or you like to think so.
fuzzylogic wrote:Up to about 2 years ago I "knew" life was about being born, living, dying and then fading to black. I had no evidence to the contrary.
But that is the thing though...death isn't necessarily fading to black...more like fading to nothingness. You won't see black, you won't even see...nor think, hear or feel anything. No concepts, no experience. You won't even know you are dead. There is no you. What was once "you" (all the cells working together and which made up your organism and created many illusions) is gone, detached, decaying or pulverised and gone to become something else.
fuzzylogic wrote:How can you make the statement above in the face of the many hundreds of "eye witness" accounts to the contrary? How is it valid to simply ignore these cases and make that sort of blanket statement that there is "nothing to suggest" ?
I'll tell you how...
Experience happens in the mind whether you are awake or asleep. The mind is more than capable of playing many tricks. Someone could spike my drink with psychedelic drugs and I could tell you all about how taps spoke to me when I went to the loo to wash my hands and yet I would not be able to prove it. I'd be a witness and clearly, in this case, one who saw something that didn't really happen.
I don't dismiss their experiences...I dismiss their biased interpretations. And then we have the gimmicky famous cases...
Occam's razor, my friend. As I said, there is "nothing to suggest". There is only the suggestion of indulgence in fantasy - a trait that many of us keep from childhood.
fuzzylogic wrote:A few hundred years ago many said there was, "nothing to suggest" that the Earth
Sure, sure! But that is a different case. It is also true that humanity has been clinging to spirituality and religion for many millennia and the main culprits are "visions of the night". Sleep paralysis, vivid dreams, lucid dreams, nightmares, you name it... All characterised by brain states. Who knows, maybe this time people need to realise that there is more to the brain than they think and such visions are the product of a biological supercomputer rebooting itself and not...ahem...glimpses of a spirit world.
fuzzylogic wrote:The double slit experiment shouldn't work: but it does, every time. So although we can point no scientific basis for the "strange" occurrence of quantum entanglement, there is overwhelming proof of its existence.
You see, I know you said you are not a New Ager...but this is exactly what a New Ager would do. They try to use quantum mechanics to back up their claims. All particles in our local universe are probably, to different degrees, quantum entangled and the result of this was probably the interaction of all from the Big Bang. But this doesn't mean it's paranormal forces at work. Just a mechanism that we are yet to understand. If we imagine our local universe to be like an expanded cell or even part of an atom of some sort, then it is not so strange to think that it is all connected by PHYSICAL forces that we are yet to detect. We still have to shed some light on dark matter and all that shebang.
Perhaps we don't understand it because we are part of it and human logic cannot encompass the so-called quantum logic. It may be just the way of things. It is not proof of an afterlife or the existence of an omniscient being we call "god". The quantum entanglement business is only "strange" if we think of it as strange. The double-slit seems to play upon observation and again there is nothing to it. Like gravity (something that we don't fully understand), measurement collapses one possible and viable outcome pending the circumstances. Perhaps magnetic fields from living organisms who are being observant and analytical affect the behaviour of photons and electrons...
All states have the potential to become but the relevant one manifests according to observation. Perhaps the outcome is dependent upon brain states when a measurement is being made. Like a sound sensor that flashes when you speak. No need for magic at work. Here's an interesting video which is in direct contradiction of Mr. Campbell's theoretical model:
It could also be just the measurement and the possible interference of the device and not if someone is observing or recording what is going on. There is no need for recording - it happens anyway. To state that the information is already available is pure conjecture (as Campbell does and I took part in a discussion about this quite recently in a Facebook group). My friend Claudio pointed out some of Campbell's errors by emailing him and after a brief discussion Mr. Campbell decided to ignore him:
I'm going to make a vehement statement here and you can all agree, disagree or agree to disagree. Thomas Campbell and his horde are modern New Agers. They use different terminology and are more adherent of quantum physics in order to reinforce their beliefs in rebirth, parallel universes, past lives, spiritual realms and everything paranormal in general. Beware of cunning scientists working in the shadows!


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Postindustrial Society
Postindustrial Era
Postindustrial 6
A synthesis of the social dimension
Postindustrial 5
A synthesis of the economical dimension
Postindustrial 4
A synthesis of the technological dimension
The mechanisms of a green society
Postindustriel 17 (scenario 4)
The mechanisms of a green society
The Participatory State
Postindustriel 16 (scenario 3) :
The Participatory State
The mechanisms of a Consumer Society
Postindustriel 15 (scenario 2) The mechanisms of a Consumer Society
The mechanisms of state security
Postindustriel 14 (scenario 1) : The mechanisms of state security
Postindustrial 11
Postindustrial 11 : for a multi-dimensional reading of the new society
The schema above us to visualise the embryo of a model for a post-industrial society. This should develop based on the opinion of the actors in that society; opinions which create the necessary foundations for real change. These opinions will emerge from collectively-developed consensus in groups where information is processed; hence the model's name – the knowledge-based society.
Postindustrial 12
Postindustrial 12 : The mechanisms of culture
(Read this schema from left to right)
Because it's a living system, a society is constantly undergoing mutation. To adapt to numerous changes, a society uses its language and its culture to process the information which gives it its feel, its milieu.


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© 2015 - Universal Pictures
Running Time: 137 min.
Release Date: April 3, 2015
DVD: September 15, 2015
Current rating:
based on 932 votes and 90 reviews
Rate Movie | Read all user reviews
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Djimon Hounsou, Tony Jaa, Ronda Rousey, Nathalie Emmanuel, Kurt Russell, Jason Statham, Elsa Pataky
The latest installment in the Fast and Furious series may still be doing well at the...
Paul Walker's daughter Meadow, 16, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Porsche...
It's mid-September, which means the nights are getting colder. Instead of "Netflix...
The Fast and Furious franchise kicked things into high gear with Furious 7. If...


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Google Slips: Look Past CPC Softness, Say Bulls
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Shares of Google (GOOG) are down $12.86, or 1.4%, at $897.86, after the company last night missed Q2 revenue and earnings expectations, with a quarter-over-quarter decline in ad dollars from partner Web sites, and a 6% year-over-year decline in cost per click, the price Google charges advertisers, on average.
The stock hasn't received any ratings changes from the main brokers today, and although estimates are going down, many bulls are maintaining or even raising their price targets, advising investors to look past the disappointment.
There is one change in attitude I've seen, from boutique research firm Battle Road Research, whose analyst team cut their rating on the stock to Hold from Buy, and cut their price target from $1,020 to $850, writing "Q2 results released after the market close indicate a significant deceleration in online revenue growth, which net of traffic acquisition costs grew by just three percent year over year, the slowest level that we have seen since 2009."
The team confess they misjudged the ad business in upgrading the stock:
Beginning in the third quarter of September 2012, Google began to reverse a trend of accelerating contraction in cost per click, which decelerated from a 15 percent contraction in that quarter to a four percent contraction in the first quarter of 2013. In the June quarter, we noted that the year over year contraction was six percent, an indication that Google's key word searches are fetching lower prices overall. We incorrectly surmised in our recent update that the rate of contraction had stabilized due to a narrowing of the gap between desktop ads and mobile ads, as mobile moves more into the mainstream of computer usage. Google's recent policy decisions to improve the quality of its search engine results, as well as its prodding of advertisers to adopt enhanced campaigns, which essentially forces advertisers to employ a mix of desktop and mobile ads, appears to be responsible for the decline.
John Blackledge, Cowen & Co.: Reiterates an Outperform rating on the shares, and a $972 price target. "Google's Paid Clicks increased 23% y/y, above our forecast of 18% y/y growth. Overall, CPCs were down 6% y/y vs. 4% y/y decline seen in 1Q. We were modeling a 2% y/y decline in CPC, but this metric is influenced by a multitude of factors including geographic, product, channel, and property mix, policy changes and FX, which implies to us that while the CPC result was less than we expected on a y/y basis there was nothing terribly alarming in the result, particularly in light of paid clicks, which were higher than we expected." Blackledge cut his 2013 estimate to $59.72 billion and $44.28 per share in profit from a prior $60.48 billion and $46.39.
Eric Sheridan, UBS: Reiterates a Buy rating, and raises his price target to $1,020 from a prior $945. "In the medium term, we see multiple opportunities for accelerating growth: a) improved contribution from advertising products (PLAs, Enhanced AdWords Campaigns & YouTube); b) the lapping of policy changes depressing Network revenues; c) upcoming hardware launches including new Nexus tablets & Motorola smartphones; & d) increasing content sales via the Google Play app & media store […] We expect CPC declines to moderate in coming quarters, as PLAs see better monetization and Enhanced AdWords Campaigns support higher pricing as desktop and mobile (tablet/smartphone) pricing converges on the new platform (particularly Q3 and Q4). The negative from current CPC trends is that investors might become concerned (as they were last year) about the impact of the shift to mobile for Google's advertising business." Sheridan cut his estimates for this year to $55.75 billion in revenue and $43.47 per share in adjusted net income, down from $56.06 billion and $45.38.
Ralph Shackart, William Blair: Reiterates an Outperform rating. "Cost per click (CPC) decreased by 6% year‐over‐year and paid clicks increased 23% year‐over‐year. Google attributed the decline to mix shifts across geographies, channels, and properties as well as policy changes. Some investors believed CPC could inflect positive this quarter as a result of the newly implemented enhanced campaigns on AdWords […] While not providing much detail, Google noted that advertisers' response to enhanced campaigns was positive as they are discovering new inventory and realizing a higher ROI. Google reported that it was pleased with the early progress of enhanced campaigns but declined to provide a timeline when it could cause CPC to inflect positive."


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Mayor Don Wesely and members of the City Council encourage the public to view a televised informational meeting on natural gas rates at 10:30 a.m. Monday, January 22 on 5 CITY-TV, government access cable channel 5.
The City Council will have a presentation from Peoples Natural Gas on the history of gas rates, the reasons today's commodity prices have increased dramatically, factors other than the gas cost that affect a customer's bill, and some possible solutions to the situation. Presenters from Peoples will include Alan Hersch, Community Relations Director; Glenn Dee, Director of Regulatory Affairs; and Don Nordell, Customer Operations Director for Lincoln.
A news release from Peoples said natural gas billing rates for the company's customers in Lincoln are $1.23 per therm (100 cubic feet), compared to 46 center per therm a year ago. That means a residential customer using 186 therms of gas this month would pay about $237, an increase of $142 over the January 2000 bill.
Media Release


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Work–life balance
Work–life balance is a concept including proper prioritizing between "work" (career and ambition) and "lifestyle" (health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development/meditation). This is related to the idea of "lifestyle choice."
- History 1
- Work statistics 2
Stress 3
- Formation of the "ideal worker" and gender differences 3.1
- Perceptions and gender differences 3.2
- Concerns of men and women alike 3.3
- Young generation views 3.4
- Identity through work 3.5
Women 3.6
- Maternity leave 3.6.1
- Men 3.7
- Consequences of an imbalance 4
- Responsibility of the employer 5
Global comparisons 6
- United States 6.1
- European Union 6.2
- See also 7
- References 8
- Notes 9
- External links 10
The work-leisure dichotomy was invented in the mid-1800s.[1][2] Paul Krassner remarked that anthropologists use a definition of happiness that is to have as little separation as possible "between your work and your play".[3][4] The expression "work–life balance" was first used in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s to describe the balance between an individual's work and personal life.[5] In the United States, this phrase was first used in 1986.
Most recently, there has been a shift in the workplace as a result of advances in technology. As Bowswell and Olson-Buchanan stated, "increasingly sophisticated and affordable technologies have made it more feasible for employees to keep contact with work". Employees have many methods, such as emails, computers, and cell phones, which enable them to accomplish their work beyond the physical boundaries of their office. Employees may respond to an email or a voice mail after-hours or during the weekend, typically while not officially "on the job". Researchers have found that employees who consider their work roles to be an important component of their identities will be more likely to apply these communication technologies to work while in their non-work domain.[6]
Some theorists suggest that this blurred boundary of work and life is a result of technological control. Technological control "emerges from the physical technology of an organization".[7] In other words, companies use email and distribute smartphones to enable and encourage their employees to stay connected to the business even when they are not in the office. This type of control, as Barker argues, replaces the more direct, authoritarian control, or simple control, such as managers and bosses. As a result, communication technologies in the temporal and structural aspects of work have changed, defining a "new workplace" in which employees are more connected to the jobs beyond the boundaries of the traditional workday and workplace.[6] The more this boundary is blurred, the higher work-to-life conflict is self-reported by employees.[6]
Many authors believe that parents being affected by work-life conflict will either reduce the number of hours one works where other authors suggest that a parent may run away from family life or work more hours at a workplace.[8] This implies that each individual views work-life conflict differently.
Employee assistance professionals say there are many causes for this situation ranging from personal ambition and the pressure of family obligations to the accelerating pace of technology.[9] According to a recent study for the Center for Work-Life Policy, 1.7 million people consider their jobs and their work hours excessive because of globalization.
Work statistics
According to a survey conducted by the National Life Insurance Company, four out of ten U.S. employees state that their jobs are "very" or "extremely" stressful.[9] Those in high-stress jobs are three times more likely than others to suffer from stress-related medical conditions and are twice as likely to quit. The study states that women, in particular, report stress related to the conflict between work and family.
In the study, Work-Family Spillover and Daily Reports of Work and Family Stress in the Adult Labor Force , researchers found that with an increased amount of negative spillover from work to family, the likelihood of reporting stress within the family increased by 74%, and with an increased amount of negative spillover from family to work the likelihood to report stress felt at work increased by 47%.[10]
Employee benefits in the United States –MARCH 2011 Paid leave benefits continued to be the most widely available benefit offered by employers, with paid vacations available to 91 percent of full-time workers in private industry in March 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Access to these benefits, however, varied by employee and establishment characteristics. In private industry, paid vacation benefits were available to only 37 percent of part-time workers. Paid sick leave was available to 75 percent of full-time workers and 27 percent of part-time workers. Paid vacations were available to 90 percent of workers earning wages in the highest 10th percent of private industry employees and only to 38 percent of workers in the lowest 10 percent of private industry wage earners. Access to paid sick leave benefits ranged from 21 percent for the lowest wage category to 87 percent for the highest wage category. These data are from the National Compensation Survey (NCS), which provides comprehensive measures of compensation cost trends and incidence and provisions of employee benefit plans.[11]
According to 2010 National Health Interview Survey Occupational Health Supplement data, 16% of U.S. workers reported difficulty balancing work and family. Imbalance was more prevalent among workers aged 30–44 (19%) compared with other age groups; non-Hispanic black workers (19%) compared with non-Hispanic white workers (16%), and Hispanic workers (15%); divorced or separated workers (19%) compared with married workers (16%), widowed workers (13%), and never married workers (15%); and workers having a bachelor's degree and higher (18%) compared with workers having a high school diploma or G.E.D. (16%), and workers with less than a high school education (15%). Workers in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industries (9%) had a lower prevalence rate of work-family imbalance compared to all employed adults (16%). Among occupations, a higher prevalence rate of work-family imbalance was found in legal occupations (26%), whereas a lower prevalence rate was observed for workers in office and administrative support (14%) and farming, forestry, and fishing occupations (10%).[12]
The number of stress-related disability claims by American employees has doubled according to the Employee Assistance Professionals Association in Arlington, Virginia. Seventy-five to ninety percent of physician visits are related to stress and, according to the American Institute of Stress, the cost to industry has been estimated at $200 billion-$300 billion a year.[9]
Steven L. Sauter, chief of the Applied Psychology and Ergonomics Branch of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati, Ohio, states that recent studies show that "the workplace has become the single greatest source of stress".[9] Michael Feuerstein, professor of clinical psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences at Bethesda Naval Hospital states, "We're seeing a greater increase in work-related neuroskeletal disorders from a combination of stress and ergonomic stressors".[9]
It is clear that problems caused by stress have become a major concern to both employers and employees. Symptoms of stress are manifested both physiologically and psychologically. Persistent stress can result in cardiovascular disease, sexual health problems, a weaker immune system and frequent headaches, stiff muscles, or backache. It can also result in poor coping skills, irritability, jumpiness, insecurity, exhaustion, and difficulty concentrating. Stress may also perpetuate or lead to binge eating, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
According to James Campbell Quick, a professor of organizational behavior at the University of Texas-Arlington, "The average tenure of presidents at land-grant universities in the past ten years has dropped from approximately seven to three-and-a-half years".[9]
The feeling that simply working hard is not enough anymore is acknowledged by many other American workers. "To get ahead, a seventy-hour work week is the new standard. What little time is left is often divided up among relationships, kids, and sleep." This increase in work hours over the past two decades means that less time will be spent with family, friends, and community as well as pursuing activities that one enjoys and taking the time to grow personally and spiritually.
Texas Quick, an expert witness at trials of companies who were accused of overworking their employees, states that "when people get worked beyond their capacity, companies pay the price." [9] Although some employers believe that workers should reduce their own stress by simplifying their lives and making a better effort to care for their health, most experts feel that the chief responsibility for reducing stress should be management.
According to Esther M. Orioli, president of Essi Systems, a stress management consulting firm, "Traditional stress-management programs placed the responsibility of reducing stress on the individual rather than on the organization-where it belongs. No matter how healthy individual employees are when they start out, if they work in a dysfunctional system, they'll burn out." [9]
Formation of the "ideal worker" and gender differences
Work-life conflict is not gender-specific. According to the Center for American Progress, 90 percent of working mothers and 95 percent of working fathers report work-family conflict.[13] However, because of the social norms surrounding each gender role, and how the organization views its ideal worker, men and women handle the work-life balance differently. Organizations play a large part in how their employees deal with work-life balance. Some companies have taken proactive measures in providing programs and initiatives to help their employees cope with work-life balance (see: Responsibility of the employer).
Work-life conflict may come from organizational norms and ideologies. As a macro structure, the organization maintains the locus of power. Organizations, through its structure, practices, symbols and discourse, create and reproduce a dominant ideology. The dominant ideology is what drives organizational power and creates organizational norms.
At the top of the organizational hierarchy, the majority of individuals are males, and assumptions can be made regarding their lack of personal experience with the direct and indirect effects of work-family conflict.[13] For one, they may be unmarried and have no thought as to what "normal" family responsibilities entail. On the other hand, the high-level manager may be married, but his wife, due to the demands of the husband's position, has remained at home, tending solely to the house and children. Ironically, these are the individuals creating and reforming workplace policies.[14]
Workplace policies, especially regarding the balance between family/life and work, create an organizational norm in which employees must fall into. This type of organizational behavior, according to Dennis Mumby, "contribut[es] in some ways to the structuring of organizational reality, and hence organizational power." [15]
The reality of what employees experience, specifically in regards to work-life balance, is a direct result of power operating covertly through ideological controls. This is seen in the ideological norm of the "ideal worker." Many organizations view the ideal worker as one who is "committed to their work above all else".[16] "Ideal workers" are those that demonstrate extra-role behaviors, which are seen as positive attributes.
Alternatively, those who are perceived as having to divide their time (and their commitments) are seen not as dedicated to the organization. As research has shown, a manager's perception of a subordinate's commitment to the organization is positively associated with the individual's promotability. Hoobler et al.'s (2009) findings mirrored the perceived commitment-to-promotability likelihood.[17]
Often, these perceptions are placed on the female worker. Managers who perceived their female employees of maintaining high work-family conflict were presumed as not as committed to the organization, therefore not worthy of advancement. This negatively impacts working mothers as they may be "inaccurately perceived to have less commitment to their organizations than their counterparts, their advancement in organizations may be unfairly obstructed".[16]
Working mothers often have to challenge perceptions and stereotypes that evolve as a working woman becomes a working mother. Working mothers are perceived as less competent and less worthy of training than childless women.[18] Another study, focusing on professional jobs, found that mothers were 79 percent less likely to be hired and are typically held to a higher standard of punctuality and performance than childless women.[13] The moment when she becomes a mother, a working woman is held at a completely different norm than her childless colleagues. In the same Cuddy et al. (2004) study, men who became fathers were not perceived as any less competent, and in fact, their perceived warmth increased.[18]
The ways in which corporations have modelled the "ideal worker" does not compliment the family lifestyle, nor does it accommodate it. Long hours and near complete devotion to the profession makes it difficult for working mothers to participate in getting ahead in the workplace.[14] A Fortune article found that among the most powerful women in business (female CEOs, presidents and managing directors of major corporations), 29 percent were childless compared to 90 percent of men who were parents (;[14][19]).
Should a woman seek a position of power within an organization, she must consider the toll on other facets of her life, including hobbies, personal relationships and families. As Jeffrey Pfeffer states: "Time spent on the quest for power and status is time you cannot spend on other things, such as … family…The price seems to be particularly severe for women".[20] Many executive jobs require a substantial amount of overtime, which as a mother, many cannot devote because of family obligations.[14] Consequently, it is nearly impossible for a working mother in a top management position to be the primary caretaker of her child.[14] Work life balance should be maintained for an efficient and effective life.
Perceptions and gender differences
This circumstance only increases the work-life balance stress experienced by many women employees.
Research conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), a division of Kenexa, evaluated how male and female workers perceive work-life balance and found that women are more positive than men in how they perceive their company's efforts to help them balance work and life responsibilities. The report is based on the analysis of data drawn from a representative sample of 10,000 U.S. workers who were surveyed through WorkTrends, KRI's annual survey of worker opinions.
The results indicated a shift in women's perceptions about work-life balance. In the past, women often found it more difficult to maintain balance due to the competing pressures at work and demands at home.[21]
"The past two decades have witnessed a sharp decline in men's provider role, caused in part by growing female labor participation and in part by the weakening of men's absolute power due to increased rates of unemployment and underemployment" states sociologist Jiping Zuo. She continues on to state that "Women's growing earning power and commitment to the paid workforce together with the stagnation of men's social mobility make some families more financially dependent on women. As a result, the foundations of the male dominance structure have been eroded."[22]
Concerns of men and women alike
Similar discrimination is experienced by men who take time off or reduce working hours for taking care of the family.
For many employees today—both male and female—their lives are becoming more consumed with a host of family and other personal responsibilities and interests. Therefore, in an effort to retain employees, it is increasingly important for organizations to recognize the balance.[21]
Young generation views
According to Kathleen Gerson, Sociologist, young people "are searching for new ways to define care that do not force them to choose between spending time with their children and earning an income" and "are looking for definition of personal identity that do not pit their own development against creating committed ties to others"[23][24] readily. Young adults believe that parents should get involved and support the children both economically and emotionally, as well as share labor equally. Young people do not believe work-life balance is possible and think it is dangerous to build a life dependent on another when relationships are unpredictable. They are looking for partners to share the house work and family work together.[24][25] Men and women believe that women should have jobs before considering marriage, for better life and to be happy in marriage. Young people do not think their mother's generations were unhappy. They also do not think they were powerless because they were economically dependent.
Identity through work
By working in an organization, employees identify, to some extent, with the organization, as part of a collective group.[26] Organizational values, norms and interests become incorporated in the self-concept as employees increase their identification with the organization. However, employees also identify with their outside roles, or their "true self".[27] Examples of these might be parental/caretaker roles, identifications with certain groups, religious affiliations, align with certain values and morals, mass media etc.
Employee interactions with the organization, through other employees, management, customers, or others, reinforces (or resists) the employee identification with the organization.[27] Simultaneously, the employee must manage their "true self" identification. In other words, identity is "fragmented and constructed" through a number of interactions within and out of the organization; employees don't have just one self.
Most employees identify with not only the organization, but also other facets of their life (family, children, religion, etc.). Sometimes these identities align and sometimes they do not. When identities are in conflict, the sense of a healthy work-life balance may be affected. Organization members must perform identity work so that they align themselves with the area in which they are performing to avoid conflict and any stress as a result.
Today there are many young women who do not want to just stay at home and do house work, but want to have careers. About 64% of mothers whose youngest child was under age six, and 77% of mothers with a youngest child age 6-17 were employed in 2010, indicating that the majority of women with dependent care responsibilities cannot or do not wish to give up careers. While women are increasingly represented in the work force, they still face challenges balancing work and home life. Both domestic and market labor compete for time and energy. "For women, the results show that only time spent in female housework chores has a significant negative effect on wages".
Maternity leave
Maternity leave is a leave of absence for an expectant or new mother for the birth and care of the baby. This is a very important factor in creating a work-life balance for families, yet in the United States most states do not offer any paid time off for this important time in one's life. Many mothers are forced to return to work only weeks after having given birth to their children; missing out on important bonding time with their child. At this age, newborn babies and their mother are forming an important bond and the child is learning to trust and count on their parents. Yet, they are often sent to daycare and are now being cared for by a non-family member. According to the US Census, Almost two-thirds of American women (62 percent) with a birth in the last year were in the labor force in 2008 http://www.census.gov/
Some new mothers (and fathers) will take unpaid time off, allowed by the Family and Medical Leave Act. The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. Eligible employees are entitled to twelve workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for:
- the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth;
- the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or
foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement; http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/
Some states will allow paid time off for maternity leave under the states Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI).
|TDI Benefit
|55% - 60% of highest quarterly earnings during a 12-month base period up to $959 (2009)
|58% of average weekly wages up to $510 (2009)
|New Jersey
|66% of average weekly wages up to $524 (2008)
|New York
|50% of weekly wages up to $170 (2008)
|Rhode Island
|4.62% of employees highest calendar quarter wages in the base year, up to $671, plus dependent allowance of $10 or 7% of weekly benefit for up to 5 dependents (2008)
At the state level, California was the first state to offer paid family leave benefits for its workers. While the benefits only last for 6 weeks [28] this is the first major step for maternity leave in the United States.New Jersey lawmakers are pushing legislation that would make their state the second state to add this worker benefit. Under one New Jersey proposal, workers who take leave would be paid through the state's temporary disability insurance fund, "augmented by a 0.1 percent charge on workers' weekly wages."[29] Traditionally, many conservatives have opposed paid family leave, but there is a sign that this mindset is beginning to change. Reverend Paul Schenck, a prominent member of the National Pro-Life Action Center recently stated that he would support paid maternity leave on the assumption that it might encourage women to follow through with their pregnancies instead of having abortions. According to Heyman, "Across the political spectrum, people are realizing these policies have an enormous impact on working families. If you look at the most competitive economies in the world, all the others except the U.S. have these policies in place." [29]
The United States is not as workplace family-oriented as many other wealthy countries. According to a study released by Harvard and McGill University researchers in February 2007, workplace policies for families in the U.S. are weaker than those of all high-income countries and even many middle-and low-income countries.
For example, the study notes that the United States is one of only five countries out of 173 that does not guarantee some form of paid maternity leave. (The other countries are Lesotho, Liberia, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea).[29] Other differences include the fact that fathers are granted paid paternity leave or paid parental leave in sixty-five countries; thirty one of these countries offer at least fourteen weeks of paid leave. The U.S. does not guarantee this to fathers.(survey) Sweden, Denmark and Norway have the highest level of maternity benefits—Sweden provides 68 weeks paid maternity leave, Norway provides 56 weeks paid maternity leave and Denmark provides 52.[30]
Men know that work alone may not provide their lives with meaning. Young men can lose their meaning of life; they want a balance between paid work and personal attachments without being victimized at work.[24][25] More men are realizing that work is not their only primary source of fulfillment from life. A new study on fatherhood (2010) shows that more men are looking for alternatives to their 40-hour workweek in order to spend more time with their family. Though working less means a smaller paycheck and higher stress levels, men are looking for flexibility just as much as women. However, with an ever-changing society, flexibility is becoming much more apparent. "It seems that some traditional stereotypes are starting to lessen just a bit in terms of who's responsible for care of the children" says human resource specialist Steve Moore. Traditionalism is becoming less frequent due to what's actually practical for each individual family.[31]
Men often face unequal opportunity to family life as they are often expected to be the financial supporter of the family unit, "[t]he masculine ideal of a worker unencumbered by caregiving obligations is built into workplace structures and patterns of reward."[32]
Consequences of an imbalance
Mental health is a balancing act that may be affected by four factors: the influence of unfavourable genes, by wounding trauma, by private pressures and most recently by the stress of working.[33] Many people expose themselves unsolicited to the so-called job stress, because the "hard worker" enjoys a very high social recognition. These aspects can be the cause of an imbalance in the areas of life. But there are also other reasons which can lead to such an imbalance.
Remarkable is, for example, the increase in non-occupational activities with obligation character, which include mainly house and garden work, maintenance and support of family members or volunteer activities. All this can contribute to the perception of a chronic lack of time.[34] This time pressure is, amongst others, influenced by their own age, the age and number of children in the household, marital status, the profession and level of employment as well as the income level.[35] The psychological strain, which in turn affects the health, increases due to the strong pressure of time, but also by the complexity of work, growing responsibilities, concern for long-term existential protection and more.[36] The mentioned stresses and strains could lead in the long term to irreversible, physical signs of wear as well as to negative effects on the human cardiovascular and immune systems.[37]
Prominent cultural beliefs that parenthood is the best avenue for a happy fulfilling life may not be justified. In, The Joys of Parenthood Reconsidered, what was found is the opposite, that parents actually suffer worse mental and physical health than childless adults. This is associated with the high costs of parenthood described in the article. Simon states that, "In America we lack institutional supports that would help ease the social and economic burdens associated with parenthood." [38]
Psychoanalysts diagnose uncertainty as the dominant attitude to life in the postmodern society.[39] This uncertainty can be caused by the pressure which is executed from the society to the humans. It is the uncertainty to fail, but also the fear of their own limits, not to achieve something what the society expects, and especially the desire for recognition in all areas of life.[39] In today's society we are in a permanent competition. Appearance, occupation, education of the children - everything is compared to a media staged ideal. Everything should be perfect, because this deep-rooted aversion to all average, the pathological pursuit to excellence - these are old traditions.[39] Who ever wants more - on the job, from the partner, from the children, from themselves - will one day be burned out and empty inside. He is then faced with the realization that perfection does not exist.[40] Who is nowadays empty inside and burned out, is in the common language a Burnout. But due to the definitional problems Burnout is till this date not a recognized illness.[33] An attempt to define this concept more closely, can be: a condition that gets only the passionate, that is certainly not a mental illness but only a grave exhaustion (but can lead to numerous sick days).[33] It can benefit the term that it is a disease model which is socially acceptable and also, to some extent, the individual self-esteem stabilizing. This finding in turn facilitates many undetected depressed people, the way to a qualified treatment.[33] According to experts in the field are, in addition to the ultra hard-working and the idealists mainly the perfectionist, the loner, the grim and the thin-skinned, especially endangered of a burnout. All together they usually have a lack of a healthy distance to work.[33]
Another factor is also, that for example decision-makers in government offices and upper echelons are not allowed to show weaknesses or signs of disease etc., because this would immediately lead to doubts of the ability for further responsibility. Only 20% of managers (e.g. in Germany) do sports regularly and als only 2% keep regularly preventive medical check-up.[41] In such a position other priorities seem to be set and the time is lacking for regular sports. Frightening is that the job has such a high priority, that people waive screening as a sign of weakness. In contrast to that, the burnout syndrome seems to be gaining popularity. There seems nothing to be ashamed to show weaknesses, but quite the opposite: The burnout is part of a successful career like a home for the role model family.[42] Besides that the statement which describes the burnout as a "socially recognized precious version of the depression and despair that lets also at the moment of failure the self-image intact" fits and therefore concludes "Only losers become depressed, burnout against it is a diagnosis for winners, more precisely, for former winners.".[43]
However, it is fact that four out of five Germans complain about too much stress. One in six under 60 swallows at least once a week, a pill for the soul, whether it is against insomnia, depression or just for a bit more drive in the stressful everyday life.[39] The phases of burnout can be described, among other things, first by great ambition, then follows the suppression of failure, isolation and finally, the cynical attitude towards the employer or supervisor. Concerned persons have very often also anxiety disorders and depressions, which are serious mental diseases. Depressions are the predominant causes of the nearly 10,000 suicides that occur alone each year in Germany.[33] The implications of such imbalances can be further measured in figures: In 1993, early retirement due to mental illness still made 15.4 percent of all cases. In 2008, there were already 35.6 percent. Even in the days of illness, the proportion of failures due to mental disorders increased. Statisticians calculated that 41 million absent days in 2008 went to the account of these crises, which led to 3.9 billion euros in lost production costs.[33]
Responsibility of the employer
Work–life balance has been addressed by some employers and has been seen as a benefit to them. Research by Kenexa Research Institute in 2007 shows that those employees who were more favourable toward their organization's efforts to support work-life balance also indicated a much lower intent to leave the organization, greater pride in their organization, a willingness to recommend it as a place to work and higher overall job satisfaction.
Employers can offer a range of different programs and initiatives, such as flexible working arrangements in the form of part-time, casual and telecommuting work. More proactive employers can provide compulsory leave, strict maximum hours and foster an environment that encourages employees not to continue working after hours.
It is generally only highly skilled workers that can enjoy such benefits as written in their contracts, although many professional fields would not go so far as to discourage workaholic behaviour. Unskilled workers will almost always have to rely on bare minimum legal requirements. The legal requirements are low in many countries, in particular, the United States. In contrast, the European Union has gone quite far in assuring a legal work-life balance framework, for example pertaining to parental leave and the non-discrimination of part-time workers.
According to Stewart Friedman—professor of Management and founding director of the Wharton School's Leadership Program and of its Work/Life Integration Project—a "one size fits all" mentality in human resources management often perpetuates frustration among employees. "[It's not an] uncommon problem in many HR areas where, for the sake of equality, there's a standard policy that is implemented in a way that's universally applicable -- [even though] everyone's life is different and everyone needs different things in terms of how to integrate the different pieces. It's got to be customized." [44]
Friedman's research indicates that the solution lies in approaching the components of work, home, community, and self as a comprehensive system. Instead of taking a zero-sum approach, Friedman's Total Leadership program teaches professionals how to successfully pursue "four-way wins"—improved performance across all parts of life.
Although employers are offering many opportunities to help their employees balance work and life, these opportunities may be a catch twenty-two for some female employees. Even if the organization offers part-time options, many women will not take advantage of it as this type of arrangement is often seen as "occupational dead end".[14]
Even with the more flexible schedule, working mothers opt not to work part-time because these positions typically receive less interesting and challenging assignments; taking these assignments and working part-time may hinder advancement and growth. Even when the option to work part-time is available, some may not take advantage of it because they do not want to be marginalized.[14] This feeling of marginalization could be a result of not fitting into the "ideal worker" framework (see: Formation of the "ideal worker" and gender differences).
Additionally, some mothers, after returning to work, experience what is called the maternal wall. The maternal wall is experienced in the less desirable assignments given to the returning mothers. It is also a sense that because these women are mothers, they cannot perform as "ideal workers".[14] If an organization is providing means for working mothers and fathers to better balance their work-life commitments, the general organizational norm needs to shift so the "ideal worker" includes those who must manage a home, children, elderly parents, etc.
Global comparisons
United States
According to a new study by Harvard and McGill University researchers, the United States lags far behind nearly all wealthy countries when it comes to family-oriented workplace policies such as maternity leave, paid sick days and support for breast feeding. Jody Heyman, founder of the Harvard-based Project on Global Working Families and director of McGill's Institute for Health and Social Policy, states that, "More countries are providing the workplace protections that millions of Americans can only dream of. The U.S. has been a proud leader in adopting laws that provide for equal opportunity in the workplace, but our work/family protections are among the worst." [45]
This observation is being shared by many Americans today and is considered by many experts to be indicative of the current climate. However, the U.S. Labor Department is examining regulations that give workers unpaid leave to deal with family or medical emergencies (a review that supporters of the FMLA worry might be a prelude to scaling back these protections, as requested by some business groups). At the same time, Senator Chris Dodd from Connecticut is proposing new legislation that would enable workers to take six weeks of paid leave. Congress is also expected to reconsider the Healthy Families Act which is a bill that would require employers with at least fifteen employees to provide seven paid sick days per year.[45]
At least 107 countries protect working women's right to breast-feed and, in at least seventy-three of them, women are paid. The U.S. does not have any federal legislation guaranteeing mothers the right to breast-feed their infants at work, but 24 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have laws related to breastfeeding in the workplace.[46]
There is not a federal law requiring paid sick days in the United States. When it comes to sick days, 145 countries provide sick days to their employees; 127 provide a week or more per year.
At least 134 countries have laws setting the maximum length of the work week; the U.S. does not have a maximum work week length and does not place any limits on the amount of overtime that an employee is required to work each week. (survey) Sweden, Denmark and Norway have the highest level of maternity benefits—Sweden provides 68 weeks paid maternity leave, Norway provides 56 weeks paid maternity leave and Denmark provides 52.[30]
Even when vacation time is offered in some U.S. companies, some choose not to take advantage of it. A 2003 survey by Management Recruiter International stated that fifty percent of executives surveyed didn't have plans to take a vacation. They decided to stay at work and use their vacation time to get caught up on their increased workloads.[47]
American workers average approximately ten paid holidays per year while British workers average twenty-five holidays and German employees thirty. Americans are at "work" twelve weeks more a year in total hours than Europeans though they are no more productive than the average European.
European Union
In Europe, the Working Time Directive has implemented a maximum 48-hour working week.[48] Many countries have opted for fewer hours. France attempted to introduce a thirty-five hour workweek, and Finland experimented with a thirty-hour week in 1996. Contradictory to the Scandinavian countries, there is no evidence of state policies that absolutely encourage men to take on a larger share of domestic work in France, Portugal, or Britain.[49] In a 2007, the European Quality of Life Survey found that countries in south-eastern Europe had the most common problems with work-life balance. In Croatia and Greece, a little over 70% of working citizens say that they are too tired to do household jobs at least several times a month because of work.[50]
In Britain, legislation has been passed allowing parents of children under six to request a more flexible work schedule. Companies must approve this request as long as it does not damage the business. A 2003 Survey of graduates in the UK revealed that graduates value flexibility even more than wages.[51]
In all twenty-five European Union countries, voters "punish" politicians who try to shrink vacations. "Even the twenty-two days Estonians, Lithuanians, Poles and Slovenians count as their own is much more generous than the leave allotted to U.S. workers." [47] According to a report by the Families and Work Institute, the average vacation time that Americans took each year averaged 14.6 days.
According to Jeremy Reynolds, unions can lobby for benefits, pay, training, safety measures, and additional factors that impact the costs and benefits of work hours. "Unions can also have a more direct impact on hour mismatches through their efforts to change the length of the workday, work week, and work year, and to increase vacation and leave time." This is why workers in countries where there are strong unions usually work fewer hours and have more generous leave policies than workers who are in countries where there are weaker unions.[52]
It is critical to mention that cultural factors influence why and how much we work. As stated by Jeremy Reynolds, "cultural norms may encourage work as an end in itself or as a means to acquiring other things, including consumer products." This might be why Americans are bound to work more than people in other countries. In general, Americans always want more and more, so Americans need to work more in order to have the money to spend on these consumer products.[52]
See also
- Absenteeism
- Dual-career commuter couples
- Mompreneur
- Money-rich, time-poor
- On-Ramping
- Personal life
- Presenteeism
- Shared Earning/Shared Parenting Marriage
- Telecommuting
- Time bind
- Total Worker Health
- Workaholic
- Work-Family Balance in the United States
- Working time
- Work–life balance in Germany
- Work-life interface
Stress related:
- Burnout (psychology)
- Clinical psychology
- Health Psychology
- Industrial and Organizational Psychology
- Occupational health psychology
- Psychoneuroimmunology
- Stress (biological)
- Workplace stress
- Other
- ^ Die Methodologien des Systems: Wie kommt man zum Fall und wie dahinter? edited by René John, Anna Henkel, Jana Rückert-John p.172
- ^
- ^ Life, issue Oct 4, 1968 p.42
- ^ Paul Krassner, Harry Adler, Richard Claus, Laura Godofsky, Irwin Rosen, Carole Quinn and Avima Ruder (1963) An impolite interview with Paul Krassner, in The Realist, n.41, June 1963, p.24, quotation:
- ^ Publication in: New Ways to Work and the Working Mother's Association in the United Kingdom
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- ^ Barker, James. "Tightening the Iron Cage: Concertive Control in Self-Managing Teams." Administrative Science Quarterly 38 (1993): 408-37.
- ^ Reynolds, J. (2005). "In the Face of Conflict: Work-Life Conflict and Desired Work Hour Adjustments". Journal of Marriage and Family 67 (5): 1313–1331.
- ^ a b c d e f g h The CQ Researcher Online at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Grzywacs, Joseph G., Almeida, David M., and Daniel A. McDonald. 2002. "Work-Family Spillover and Daily Reports of Work and Family Stress in the Adult Labor Force"Family Relations. 51: 28-36
- ^ http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ebs2.pdf
- ^ Alterman, T; Luckhaupt, SE; Dahlhamer, JM; Ward, BW; Calvert, GM (June 2013). "Job insecurity, work-family imbalance, and hostile work environment: Prevalence data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey". Am J Ind Med 56 (6): 660–669.
- ^ a b c Williams, J. & Boushey, H. (2010). The three faces of work-family conflict the poor, the professionals, and the missing middle center. Center for American Progress, Hastings College of the Law.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Williams, J. (2000). Unbending gender: Why family and work conflict and what to do about it. New York, NY: Oxford University Press
- ^ Mumby, Dennis K. Communication and Power in Organizations: Discourse, Ideology, and Domination. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Pub., 1988. Print.
- ^ a b King, E. (2008). The effect of bias on the advancement of working mothers: Disentangling legitimate concerns from inaccurate stereotypes as predictors of advancement in academe. Human Relations, 61, 1677–1711. doi:10.1177/0018726708098082
- ^ Hoobler, J., Wayne, S. & Lemmon, G. (2009). Bosses' perception of family-work conflict and women's promotability: Glad ceiling effects. Academy of Management Journal, 52, 5, 939–957.
- ^ a b Cuddy, A., Fiske, S. & Glick, P. (2004). When professionals become mothers, warmth doesn't cut the ice. Journal of Social Issues, 60, 4, 701-718.
- ^ Gilbert, N. (2008). A mother's work. New Haven: Yale University Press.
- ^ Pfeffer, Jeffrey. Power: Why Some People Have It--and Others Don't. New York, NY: HarperBusiness, 2010. Print.
- ^ a b Kenexa Research Institute Finds That When It Comes To Work/Life Balance, Men and Women Are Not Created Equal at the Wayback Machine (archived October 14, 2007)
- ^ Zuo , J., & Tang, S. (2000). Breadwinner status and gender ideologies of men and women regarding family roles. Sociological Perspectives, 43(1), 29-43. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.
- ^ Gerson, Kathleen. Moral Dilemmas, Moral Strategies, and the Transformation of Gender. The Kaleidoscope of Gender, 2011, p. 399.
- ^ a b c "Natalie Jolly". Retrieved 2011-01-25.
- ^ a b Gerson, Kathleen. Moral Dilemmas, Moral Strategies, and the Transformation of Gender. The Kaleidoscope of Gender, 2011, p. 402.
- ^ Van Knippenberg, Daan. "Organizational Identification versus Organizational Commitment: Self-definition, Social Exchange, and Job Attitudes." Journal of Organizational Behavior 27.5 (2006): 571.
- ^ a b Tracy, Sarah. "Becoming A Character for Commerce." Management Communication Quarterly 14.1 (2000): 90-128. Print.
- ^ "Paid Family leave" (PDF). State of California. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ a b c "MSN NL: Hotmail, Outlook, Skype, Messenger, het laatste nieuws, entertainment en meer!". Msn.com. 1999-12-31. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ^ a b "UK Human Resource Management Articles". Hrmguide.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ^ Tahmincioglu, Eve (June 21, 2010). "More Dads Looking To Balance Work and Family". NBC News.
- ^ Thorne, B. (2011). "The crisis of care". In Garey, A. I.; Hansen, K. V. At the Heart of Work and Family: Engaging the Ideas of Arlie Hochschild. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. pp. 149–160.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gerbert, Frank (2010): Wenn Arbeit krank macht – Burn-out- das Leiden einer modernen Gesellschaft. Warum die Zahl der Ausgebrannten wächst. In: Focus no. 10/10, p. 92-103
- ^ DESTATIS, Statistisches Bundesamt (Ed.) (2003): Wo bleibt die Zeit? Wiesbaden
- ^ Garhammer, Manfred (2004): Auswirkungen neuer Arbeitsformen auf Stress und Lebensqualität. In: Badura, Bernhard/Schnellschmidt, Henner/Vetter, Christian (Ed.): Fehlzeitenreport 2003, Wettbewerbsfaktor Work-Life-Balance. Berlin
- ^ Badura, Bernhard/Schnellschmidt, Hen-ner/Vetter, Christian (Ed.): Fehlzeitenreport 2003, Wettbewerbsfaktor Work-Life-Balance. Berlin
- ^ Weinert, Ansfried B. (2004): Organisations- und Personalpsychologie. 5. ed. Weinheim
- ^ Simon, R. W. (2008). The joys of parenthood, reconsidered. In Families (pp. 41-48)
- ^ a b c d Reich, Franziska 2010: Raus aus der Perfektions-Falle. In: Stern no. 11, p. 44-54
- ^ Poelchau, Nina 2010: Interview: wer lassen kann, wird gelassen. In: Stern no. 11, p. 56
- ^ Boersch et al. (2008): Das Summa Summarum der Gesundheit – 20 wichtige Aspekte zu Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden für Manager und Führungskräfte. 1. ed. Frankfurt: Be-triebswirtschaftlicher Verlag Dr. Th. Gabler
- ^ Meckel, Miriam (2010): Brief an mein Leben – Erfahrungen mit einem Burnout. 1. ed. Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowolt Verlag
- ^ Beck, Sebastian 2009: Die Müdigkeit der Rastlosen. In: Süd-deutsche Zeitung of 03/15/2009
- ^ "Four-way Win: How to Integrate Work, Home, Community and Self - Knowledge@Wharton". Knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ^ a b "U.S. workplace not family-oriented - Business - Careers | NBC News". MSNBC. 2007-05-22. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ^ Jennifer Saunders, Alise Garcia. "Breastfeeding State Laws". Ncsl.org. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ^ a b "The Place for Ergonomics". Ergoweb. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ^ "Working time". Eurofound.europa.eu. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ^ Crompton, Rosemary, Lyonette, Clare. 2006. "Work-Life 'Balance' in Europe." Acta Sociologica 49(4):379-393.
- ^ "European Quality of Life Survey 2007". Eurofound.europa.eu. 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ^ "More parents to get flexible work". BBC News. 6 April 2009.
- ^ a b Reynolds, Jeremy. 2004. "When Too Much Is Not Enough: Actual and Preferred Works Hours in the United States and Abroad." Sociological Forum 19(1):89-120.
- Kvande, E. (2009). "Work-Life Balance for Fathers in Globalized Knowledge Work. Some Insights from the Norwegian Context". Gender, Work & Organization 16: 58–72.
- Anderson, Jennifer., "Report Highlights Gap Between European and US Vacation Time." Ergoweb, 15 May 2005. retrieved 20 February 2007.
- Barada, Paul W., Exempt Vs. Nonexempt Workers at the Wayback Machine (archived May 13, 2007)
- "Effects of Stress." WebMD. 2 June 2005. Healthwise, Incorporated. 3 April 2007.
- Freking, Kevin., "Study Links Child Care to Poor Behavior." ABC News, 26 March 2007. The Walt Disney Company, Retrieved 4 April 2007.
- Fisk, Donald M., "American Labor in the 20th Century.", Compensation and Working Conditions Online. 30 June 2003. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 4 April 2007.
- Gallitano, Thomas., "Small Necessities Leave Act, Maternity Leave Act". J. CKRP & F. 2007. Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford, LLP. Retrieved 16 February 2007 .
- How extreme is your job? There is a danger of the 70-hour workweek becoming the new standard. Survey, 18 February 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2007.
- Matuska, Kathleen & Christiansen, Charles et al. (eds). Life Balance: Multidisciplinary Theories and Research. Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press/Slack Publishers. 2009
- O'Bannon, Brent., "Balance Matters: Turning Burnout Into Balance". R&B Publishing, TX: 2007.
- Paving the Road for Women to Return to Work. Nightly Business Report. PBS. 8 December 2005. Retrieved 3 April 2007 .
- Survey: U.S. Workplace Not Family-Oriented., Forbes, 1 February 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2007.
- The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993., U.S. Department of Labor, 1 March 2007 .
- Wide Variation in European Maternity Benefits., HRM Guide 17 February 2007.
- Whaples, Robert, ed., "Hours of Work in U.S. History". EH.Net Encyclopedia. August 2001. Retrieved 3 April 2007 .
- When It's Just You After School, Kids Health. 2007. The Nemours Foundation. 4 April 2007.
- Work-Life Balance Defined., 2006.
- "Kenexa Research Institute finds that when it comes to work-life balance, men and women are not created equal", Kenexa, July 25, 2007. Accessed May 27, 2008.
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External links
- How To Balance Work And Life - LifeIvy Magazine
- The Sloan Work and Family Research Network at Boston College
- "Stress...At Work" document and "Working With Stress" video from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- The Work-Family Dilemma: A Better Balance (The Barnard Center for Research on Women)
- Daily WorkHorse - Work and Life Companion
- Articles with limited geographic scope from December 2010
- USA-centric
- Articles lacking in-text citations from December 2009
- All articles lacking in-text citations
- Vague or ambiguous geographic scope from January 2013
- All articles with unsourced statements
- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2013
- Vague or ambiguous time from December 2010
- Articles with unsourced statements from December 2009
- Articles with unsourced statements from December 2012
- Work–life balance


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Jenniferpastiak needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 64 designs submitted by 12 freelance designers.
Most everyone gets tired of paying high prices for services and goods when you know there are deals out there to find! Ms. Thrift will be a website developed around getting those amazing deals in major cities to the high-class women who don't like paying a pretty penny for expensive monthly salon services, spa services, massages, clothes, shoes, etc.
Females ages 18-50 looking for deals and discounts!
Logo needs to be PROFESSIONAL and CREDIBLE looking. Female customers of a few different generations will be using this and need to feel comfortable ordering from us and entering their credit card information and getting deal tips from our site. Give us an idea that we can use to brand the entire website around- Trendy, Stylish, Sophisticated!
I have attached some pictures of me (labeled - pic of website). Please use one of my cameos to create a fashion cultured CHARACTERTURE of a girl along with a TYPEFACE LOGO. (If creating my own personal characterture with my pic is too difficult then I might settle for some other logo you create.)
Some characterture examples are attached below. Also below is a link to a website with examples:
moderndarlings.com (characterture example only)
tidbitstreats.com (I want a characterture vs. the lolly pop but that's a typeface logo example)
PLEASE DESIGN A LOGO with typeface and characterture THAT BLOWS AWAY THE COMPETITION!!
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Special lapel pins will be designed based on a special fan vote at ETSUBucs.com, which will select the top five players in Buccaneer basketball history. Each pin will be made to look like the replica jerseys for each player, and the first 2,000 fans to arrive for five selected home matchups will receive a different pin each game.
To begin the selection process, the ETSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is requesting nominations from fans. The Top 15 players to receive nominations will be included in an on-line survey at ETSUBucs.com. The deadline for nominations will be Sept. 15, with voting to be held at ETSUBucs.com from Sept. 15 through Oct. 1. Fans can e-mail their nominations to email@example.com.
"ETSU has had a rich tradition in basketball and we thought it would be a good time to honor the very best to have donned the Blue and Gold," said ETSU Director of Marketing and Outside Sales Kevin Bostian. "From Tom Chilton to Tim Smith, our fans have watched some great players, and we want them to be a part of the selection process."
Giveaway dates for the pin promotion are listed below.
11/15: Pin #1 - ETSU vs.
1/4: Pin #2 - ETSU vs. Lipscomb
1/13: Pin #3 - ETSU vs.
1/19: Pin #4 - ETSU vs.
2/2: Pin #5 - ETSU vs. Gardner-Webb


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Library to hold martial arts demonstration, other events
By Lisa King/Sentinel-News
What would you do if someone grabbed you from behind in the dark?
What is the best way to keep yourself safe?
These and other questions will be answered with a demonstration on self defense techniques that will be offered free at the Shelby County Library Jan. 22 from 5 to 7 p.m.
The event is one of several programs that the library is offering free in January.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Sentinel-News, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
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- Welcome! MissinWine = Caroline Henry's personal wine diary. I will use this space to share my experiences of champagne and wine events I have attended,the wineries and growers I have visited and may add some tasting notes of wines that have stood out for me. I hope you like my stories as much as much as I have enjoyed reliving these wonderful moments whilst writing them up:-)
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Champagne vine rumours, bubbly tastings and rock and roll
This post is a little out of the ordinary as it is probably the most personal message I have ever written to be published in public. Then again sometimes honesty is the only way to make yourself heard… Last week … Continue reading


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Rox Thump Thunder Bay In Series Opener Monday
The Rox beat up on Thunder Bay Monday night in a 12-3 shellacking at Joe Faber Field. St. Cloud second baseman Chris Paul was 5-5 in the win.
The Rox sent 13 hitters to the plate in a seven-run seventh inning to distance themselves from the Border Cats.
Adam Martin, Luke Weber, and Clay Williamson each had multi-RBI games for St. Cloud.
Jason Hoppe got the win for the Rox with five innings of six-hit, two-run ball. The Sauk Rapids native improved his record to 1-3 on the season.
St. Cloud hosts Thunder Bay Tuesday night at 7:05.


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Let me start by thanking you for making time for me to talk to you today about the very important infrastructure financing proposals you will be voting on this afternoon.
In my State of the City Speech on July 7, I promised to introduce the package recommended to the community by the Infrastructure Finance Committee. That diverse group of citizens spent almost a year preparing a balanced, comprehensive approach to caring for the infrastructure we already have and paying for what we need to keep Lincoln growing. I forwarded the package to you because I believe Lincoln needs to grow in a planned and well-financed fashion. As I said at the time, a community must continue to evolve to stay vital and strong, create jobs and prosper.
I said at the time that we must reach out to include everyone in this community in making this choice. Then I stepped back to hear what the residents of this city had to say about the matter.
I have spent the summer listening to the community=s feedback, and I felt pretty good about it. I am encouraged by the growing awareness of Lincoln's need to maintain and build our streets, sidewalks, water, sewer and parks. I am pleased that so many Lincoln residents took the time to write, or call, or attend public meetings to express their views. I am thrilled with the marvelous involvement in this issue from so many people.
Now, let me share what I heard. The community is telling us that the need is there, and people know it, but they are worried about the cost of addressing it. There is consensus to proceed with some infrastructure financing pieces, but not all of them.
Based on that message, I am recommending to you as City Council members that you proceed with adjusting the water and sewer rates, which have not been increased for more than a decade. I also recommend that you proceed with the wheel tax increase. But I recommend that you place the proposed occupation tax on gasoline on pending and the proposed bond issue on pending.
I could argue there are good reasons for moving ahead on those also. Most importantly, the need is there! Interest rates are favorable right now, and the City's bond rating is outstanding. Additional construction would help the local economy, and if Lincoln residents really want less traffic congestion, then we must build roads.
Bear in mind that if we delay for too long, the delay will begin to affect our rate of growth. As I have said before, we cannot build everything in the Comprehensive Plan without additional funding. But if you approve some of the elements before you, we can get started. And I think we need to spend more time talking about some of this. As a practical matter, I think it best if we spend some time working with State Senators to make sure Lincoln is getting its fair share of the state gas tax revenue. Although Lincoln has every constitutional right to create its own occupation tax on gasoline, State Senators want us to work with them on this concern before we proceed, and I think that's a good idea.
So, this community accepts the need to do something about our infrastructure; but isn't quite ready to address that need in full. There seems to be consensus on some items, but not on others.
Many of the biggest changes happen incrementally, and maybe this is one of those times. And that's okay. If you proceed with even some of these proposals, you will have done a great deal.
That's why I recommend we go forward with the areas of consensus and hold off on the rest for now. I urge you to approve the wheel tax and utility rate increases, and to place the occupation tax on gasoline on pending and the bond issue on pending. The need is there; but Lincoln residents are not yet ready to address it.
Thank you.
Media Release


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Watch this quick video
You can't be two places at once. But your music can.
Pioneer's exceptional new AirPlay®-compatible AV receivers bring you closer than ever to your music by streaming your iTunes® library directly to the receiver - all the songs, all the playlists, in your living room, unleashed.
Have your music stored on your iPod touch®, iPhone®, or iPad®? No problem. Simply select your receiver as a compatible AirPlay device and it's now playing on the big speakers. What about a PC or Mac®? As long as both the receiver and computer are connected to your home network, you're free to enjoy all your favorite music throughout the home.
Pioneer's AirPlay compatible AV receivers come ready out of the box to stream your iTunes music. No need for a separate dock or cables. And Pioneer AV receivers takes it a step further with a full-color GUI that lets you view song titles, artists, album names, elapsed and remaining time and even album artwork on a connected display.
View models with this feature:


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Becoming a "Forest Savior": Community Participation for Conservation
"The forest is an integral part of my life and only source of income. We exploited it until we saw people killed in landslides in the neighboring areas. Gradually we became aware of the consequences of unplanned felling of trees. Now we protect our forest alongside the Forest Department. I own two hectares of forest land and they pay for its maintenance. I have earned a good amount after the first felling," says a proud Sabbir, participant from a social forestry initiative of the Government of Bangladesh, Ukhiarghat, Cox's Bazar.
The Government of Bangladesh initiated the Social Forestry programs with a view to meet the forest product requirements of the local population, reverse the process of ecological and climatic degradation through proper soil and water conservation, and also to improve the socioeconomic condition of the rural people.
Forests are the primary buffer against cyclones, storms and surges for over 16 million people living in the vulnerable coastal zone of Bangladesh. Over the last three decades, forests in Bangladesh have declined by 2.1% annually, accumulating to almost half of all forest cover, due to deforestation, illegal logging and harvesting, slash-and-burn agriculture, conversion into non-forestland for settlement, farming, recreation and industries. With the likely increased incidence and intensity of extreme cyclonic events, efforts must focus on reversing the decline in forests in order to adequately safeguard people against threats induced by climate change.


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The secondary woes continue for the Detroit Lions.
Thursday the team placed cornerback Bill Bentley on injured reserve with a hurt shoulder, according to MLive.com.
Bentley was targeted in April's draft by general manager Martin Mayhew to replace Eric Wright, who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason.
The third-round draft pick tallied 15 tackles but struggled to stay healthy this season, suffering a concussion in Week 1 and injuring his shoulder in the Week 6 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
When he was on the field Bentley showed flashes of being the playmaker he displayed at Louisiana-Lafayette, but struggled to avoid pass interference penalties -- following the Bryant Westbrook playbook.
The Lions re-signed defensive back Don Carey to take Bentley's roster spot.
More importantly for the Lions, safety Louis Delmas is still sitting out practice. Delmas is the key cog in the Detroit secondary. He covers up many of the secondary's faults and is its best run defender. He just can't stay healthy -- essentially he is Detroit's Bob Sanders.
Follow Kevin Patra on Twitter @kpatra.


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Two years ago, the owners of the Laurelwood Shopping Center wanted to experiment with something unconventional that would serve as a treat for shoppers – a live music concert series.
Female musicians, including Misti Rae Warren, shown two years ago performing with Davy Ray Bennett, will get an opportunity to shine this spring at Laurelwood Unplugged. The music series will take place in the courtyard near Panera Bread. (Daily News File Photo: Lance Murphey)
Thus was born the idea for Laurelwood Unplugged, and that series of early evening shows headlined by all-female acts is back next month for a third season.
In the cool of the spring evening air, in the center's courtyard outside Panera Bread, acts like the Misti Rae Trio, Myla Smith, Joyce Cobb and others will serenade shoppers passing by as well as an audience seated at tables and chairs in the courtyard that's gathered to listen.
The shows will happen every Thursday night in April and May. All of the acts this time around, as before, are female, and the range of genres they cover include everything from pop to country to blues and more.
"I'm excited to be playing Laurelwood Unplugged this year for a lot of reasons," said Myla Smith, a singer-songwriter who recently released a new music video for her song "This Time I Mean It," produced by New School Media.
"It doesn't hurt to be in such great company, for one thing. They've booked some of Memphis' best talent for this series since it started, and I'm thrilled to be included in that list. And you've got to love the venue. It's always nice to do something a little different, with a chance to maybe pull out some people who don't ordinarily come to shows or see live, local music."
It's a communal feel that's not out of place at Laurelwood, given the tenant mix. The center has restaurants as well as a venerable independent bookstore, The Booksellers at Laurelwood, which has been a communal nook for a few decades. That's thanks to things like its bistro, its large book inventory and its frequent author signings.
Cory Prewitt, Laurelwood's chief operating officer, said for the series' debut season that the center was looking to create a family-friendly and free environment where people could experience a range of some of the musical talent in Memphis.
"One thing that's different this year is we're having more of a wide, diverse group of artists this year," he said. "We're having pop, blues, even country and a couple of R&B artists as well. So there's pretty much something for everybody.
"It's still all female artists, though. Part of that is the demographics of the center. Also, there's not really anything else I know of in the city that emphasizes just female artists. We kind of wanted to make this unique, and we have so many talented female artists in the city."
A lot of attendees for past shows have found themselves standing because of a seating problem – which Prewitt said is a good problem to have and attests to the new series doing its job.
"We haven't always had enough seats for people, because it's proven to be more popular than we expected," he said. "We'll have more this year. Also, a lot of the artists were duos last year. This year, we're having more trios, so there'll be kind of a bigger, more full sound this year."
All in all, he said, it gives people another reason to be at the center. And for the people behind the cash registers, that's never a bad thing.
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The Lake Erie Development Corp. (LEEDCo) says it will use a 90-foot jack-up barge to perform soil borings and geophysical analyses of the lake bed for the future sight of Icebreaker, a freshwater offshore wind project located off the coast of Cleveland.
On May 4, LEEDCo will unload a drill onto the barge, which will then head seven miles out into Lake Erie, where LEEDCo plans to erect five to nine 3 MW wind turbines in 2016. LEEDCo says the work will be performed for about one week.Â
According to LEEDCo, the borings will be used to complete a soil profile of the lake bed in order to tailor project construction plans to the Lake Erie environment.Â
LEEDCo has already received a critical round of investment and is competing with six other offshore wind projects for additional federal investment. This geotechnical work represents a significant milestone for Icebreaker and will help the project stand out against its competition, the developer notes.