Meet Malissa Clark | Associate Professor and Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Malissa Clark and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Malissa, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
As someone who identifies as a recovering workaholic, I’ve definitely struggled with work-life balance. I do think my work-life balance—which I define as my satisfaction with the amount of time and effort I spend in my work vs. my personal life—is much better today than it used to be. I had both of my kids when I was in graduate school, and during that time my work-life balance was basically non-existent. Since becoming a professor, I am able to have a pretty flexible schedule which has really helped me to have more of a balance. For example, I can arrange my class times and meetings so that I can pick up the kids from school most days. This may mean I am doing some catch-up work later in the evenings after they go to bed, but I really value that time with them after school, so it works for me. I still struggle with keeping my work in check and have a bad habit of checking work email at every hour of the day and on weekends. I guess you could say I’m a work in progress.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I received my PhD in industrial-organizational psychology and I’m currently an Associate Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Georgia. Prior to coming to UGA, I worked as an Assistant Professor at Auburn University. As an industrial-organizational psychologist, I study people at work, and my research focuses on workaholism, overwork, burnout, and employee well-being.

I’m also an author and am really excited for the release of my new book, “Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture is Bad for Business–and How to Fix It,” in February of 2024. I’ve been researching the topic of the book, workaholism, for the past 15 years, and it’s also deeply personal to me because I also struggle with my own workaholic tendencies. I’m passionate about sharing the science behind why we should be fostering heathier workplaces and worker well-being.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in the Athens area so admittedly I don’t know the Atlanta area very well. I’m excited to learn about some cool things to do from reading everyone else’s suggestions!

If my friend was coming to visit me in Athens, here’s some things I’d like to do with them. In the fall, of course going to a Georgia football game would be at the top of the list. We’d make sure to get breakfast at Mama’s Boy at least one morning and dinner at my favorite restaurant, The National. If my friend liked music, we’d catch a show at the 40 Watt or the Georgia Theatre, with a nightcap and midnight snack at Manhattan Bar.

I’m a big craft beer fan, so there would be plenty of breweries for us to explore in Athens, with some of my favorites being Creature Comforts, Southern Brewing Company (another great place for concerts), and Akademia Brewing Company (which has amazing food, by the way). The Botanical Gardens is always a great option for a peaceful walk, and the North Oconee River Greenway and Heritage Trail is a great place for a bike ride.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my family, for all of their support this past year as I’ve worked on my book.

Website: https://www.malissaclark.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malissa-clark-0387991a/