Dear John,
Over the course of the past year and change, I’ve taken stock of the personal and self-care practices that allow me to work for the long haul to advance reproductive justice and hold the ‘pro-life’ movement accountable. For me, prioritizing movement and rest has been vital.
Taking time for leisure – spent either recreationally or actively resting, is necessary to propel our brains, bodies, and social justice causes forward. There is no reproductive justice movement without the activists involved, and each of us needs the space and freedom to build the life we want alongside the work that fulfills and drives us towards our collective goals of justice for all.
I’m proud of Reproaction’s bold internal changes towards this goal, including inviting all full-time staff to work 32 hours per week at full pay. Augmentations that promote more leisure time are proven to improve worker satisfaction and actually help staff achieve work-life balance, without sacrificing productivity. [1, 2] In fact, I’m convinced we’ve been working better since we started working fewer hours. These accommodations are especially important to keeping working caregivers afloat during these times, and will continue to be as we adjust to the different phases of our new normal.
