The Miami Herald Balancing Act Column.

Publication: The Miami Herald (Miami, Florida) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News)

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COPYRIGHT 2004 The Miami Herald

Byline: Cindy Krischer Goodman

Jan. 21-- Melvyn Cohen startled his wife when he arrived home from work hours earlier than usual one recent afternoon.

But Cohen, who owns a 25-year-old Fort Lauderdale shipping business, was just following through on his New Year's resolution to leave work at a decent hour.

"Before, I would stay around and supervise," he said. "Now, if it's slow, I leave." Cohen's resolution resonates across South Florida. Most of us strive to leave work at a decent hour. Who wouldn't want more personal time?

It's just that sometimes corporate cultures, burdensome workloads, demanding clients, workaholic bosses and unforgiving deadlines get in the way.

But in other instances, it's our own doing: We lose track of time or need to work smarter.

A recent survey by the Families and Work Institute found that the percentage of employees who want to work fewer hours rose from 47 percent in 1997 to 64 percent in 2002 The institute also found that most employees who work longer hours than they'd prefer...

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