When Anthony E. Wilkins became a parent at the age of 32, his focus was on his career. He wanted to “become financially independent in order to more fully indulge my family and my interests.”
And he did that until five years ago, when he changed jobs–and his priorities.
Today, Wilkins, 44, is vice president of institutional sales for Northern Trust Global Investments, the investment management arm of The Northern Trust Corp., based in Chicago. Married to Dorothy Tucker, a general assignment reporter for WBBM-TV in Chicago, the couple has three children, ages 12, 10 and 7.
“In my other jobs, I spent long hours in the office trying to build a career that would afford me the kind of lifestyle I wanted,” said Wilkins, who has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA. “I had plans to become a multimillionaire. But when I joined Northern, it dawned on me that there were more important things in life than becoming financially independent on the schedule I had laid out. I wanted more time with my family, and Northern, which is very family-oriented, allowed me to have a more 9-to-5 job.
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“Now I tell my children a bedtime story every night, have vacations with my family without interruptions from work, and between the two of us, my wife and I attend every school and sports event the children are involved in.”
Wilkins says it’s a positive change. “I find I’m much more efficient and can do everything I need to do for my employer and for my children,” he said. “I’m very focused and very happy in my career and personal life. I still plan to be a multimillionaire–it’s just delayed.”
The executive is fortunate that his employer’s policies and programs allow him to have a satisfying family life and a satisfying career. And Wilkins is not alone in shifting his emphasis after the magic age of 40.
“Past 40, men become a lot more sensitive to work/family conflict,” said Luis L. Martins, assistant professor of management in the school of business at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. “And this conflict is a probable cause of negative overall career satisfaction: While women’s career satisfaction is negatively affected by work/family conflict throughout their lives, men show this adverse effect only in later stages of their careers, when they’re 40 and older.”
Martins, who has a doctorate in management and organizational behavior, researches current workforce issues. He is co-author with John F. Veiga and Kimberly A. Eddleston of a study titled “Moderators of the Relationship between Work/Family Conflict and Career Satisfaction.” The report appeared in the Academy of Management Journal.
The study was of 975 U.S.workers: 49 percent women, 51 percent men. The majority were married and 67 percent of the men and 56 percent of the women had children. And 158 of the men were over 40.
“Both age and gender increase the adverse effects of work/family conflict on career satisfaction,” said Martins, who is single. Like the younger men in his study, at age 33 he says “right now my own bias is career rather than personal.”
Among the significant findings, which also apply to single and childless workers, is that “work/family conflicts spill over into your personal and professional lives–and organizations must be aware of this,” he said.
Martins adds that how much money you make is no longer the most important value among older men. “Time away from kids is an emotional issue,” he said. “And even if you can afford good child care, the fact of that time away always is stressful.”
The professor urges businesses to be aware of the changes that occur over time to the priorities of their male employees.
“Organizations need to reduce the effects of conflict,” Martins said. “What makes a difference are things such as an understanding boss, internal networks and work/family benefits and programs that take into account where the person is at that stage of life.
“One size does not fit all.”
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Carol Kleiman’s column also appears in Wednesday’s Working section and Sunday’s Business section. Watch her Career Coach segments on CLTV. E-mail [email protected]