Description: Summer is the time of year when many people want to kick back, relax, and enjoy the warm weather. However, with work and other responsibilities still demanding attention, finding the balance between having fun and being productive can be challenging. In this episode, we explore strategies for achieving that balance and discuss the benefits of taking time off to recharge. Our guest Samantha Siebenaller shares her personal experiences and offers practical tips for managing work and play during the summer months. Whether you're a part-time employee or a full-time professional trying to stay focused, this episode will help you find the right balance between work and play. Join us for a fun and informative discussion about how to work hard and play hard in the summer! Resources: Time Management - MRA Course  Role Modeling Your Culture, Summertime Style  Benefits of Flexible Scheduling Options  MRA Membership  About MRA  Let's Connect: Guest Bio - Samantha Siebenaller  Guest LinkedIn Profile - Sam Siebenaller  Host Bio - Sophie Boler  Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler  Transcript: Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word. 00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:03UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here. 00:00:21:04 - 00:00:39:17UnknownNow it's time to thrive. Hello, everybody, and welcome to 30 minute Thrive. We're excited you're here, and I'm excited to introduce our guests for today. Thanks for being on the show, Sam. Happy to be here. Well, the topic we're talking about today really applies to any time of the year, but since summer is just right around the corner. 00:00:39:19 - 00:01:01:12UnknownThink now's a great time to talk about balancing fun and productivity in the summer. So like i said, i'm here with Sam Siebenaller. Sam is our HR Services manager here at mra. So she oversees our HR Business partner teams at MRA, and she comes with a 20 plus year background of employee relations, talent management, policy, development and more. 00:01:01:14 - 00:01:27:03UnknownSo, again, thanks for sharing your expertise today and your personal experience, too. Well, let's kind of start out with the overarching picture. So how do you define work life balance and what does it mean in the context of summer? Yeah, for me, work life balance specifically means figuring out what's most important to me in my life and then how do I make sure work doesn't take away from it while still achieving whatever I need to achieve at work? 00:01:27:03 - 00:01:48:12UnknownGreat summers. Not very different for me than the rest of the year, of course, but in the context of summer, it's really shifting schedules for my family and making sure that we kind of reset everything. You know, going from a school schedule to God knows what I'm going to be doing, right? So I was having a conversation this weekend with some parents actually. 00:01:48:12 - 00:02:09:02UnknownAnd one thing that I thought was was funny and I thought was great advice for parents is we overbook our kids all school year. They're doing taekwondo, they're doing swimming, they've got soccer, they've got baseball. What about in summer? We don't overbook. But what if we didn't? And it was that reminder that I can have a life that's not overbooked, and that's going to help all of it go a little easier. 00:02:09:02 - 00:02:38:18UnknownYeah, absolutely. Well, we know that communication is also key between employees and managers. So when talking about work life balance, how can people effectively communicate their needs to employers or colleagues when it comes to taking time off during the summer? Yeah, well, I think it comes back to planning. So understanding