How do you strike a harmonious balance between your working and personal life?
They're ascertaining your natural ability to balance these two spheres. One of the core values at Siemens is "for each employee to achieve a harmonious balance between their working and personal life." An employee with a work-life balance will be able to perform well professionally over the long term of their career. In addition, the program has its drawbacks which counterbalance its benefits. As they detail it on their website, "The Challenge: Tough. The Prize: Huge."
When relocating to another country for work, especially in a country where you know very few people nor much about the culture, you might find yourself in a situation with no separation between work and personal life. So the trick to this question is how do you strike harmony and balance when stepping away from the stresses of work. Ponder this before you answer.
According to those who've gone through similar rotational programs with an identical setup, they can, by design, be exhausting. The lineup of experiencing different functions, industries, regions, and markets are dependent on where you want to set your goals. Similar to deciding on your course load and curriculum in college, you'll be committing a fair share of your off hours to this pursuit as well. From their website: "After all, only those individuals whose personal life is happy and fulfilled will be able to perform well professionally over the long term." Consider this when you ponder what you do to reach a place of harmony in such situations.
"That's an interesting question. I think I have to just be in the moment at all times and find that emotional balance around the clock. If a person isn't consistently balanced, I don't think they can find a balance when they are under extreme circumstances either at work or at home, that is. Like that old metaphor, when you are on the rim of the wheel you'll go up and then you'll go down, but when you are centered in the hub of the wheel, you are in the immovable spot."
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