“Work-life balance” is a buzz phrase that we hear in the forefront of many discussions at both the individual and corporate levels these days. It even gets Googled an average of 50,000 times per month. But despite all the discussion, the concept embodied in the phrase is rarely lived up to in the modern workplace.
It is safe to say that in recent years, the emphasis on work-life balance has hinged on the life side of the equation, with companies providing more flexibility to allow their employees to better manage their time. As a result, a lot of research studies now show that in the near future more employees will be willing to either switch employers or stay with their current ones, based primarily on their flexibility when it comes to helping them live up to their personal obligations.
On the other hand, many are still arguing that it’s time we stopped searching for actual work-life balance because the concept itself is very much mythical.
Last year, I came across an interesting article in Time magazine which asked “Is work-life balance even possible?” It made the point that the nearly ubiquitous concept of “work-life balance” has become a dangerous one because in reality it is impossible to clearly draw a separate line between work and life.
The question is, what exactly is work-life balance? Who can really define it and tell us if our companies are doing it right? Surely, it’s not my place to tell you because the topic is rather subjective, and there could never be a right answer unless it is one agreed by both employers and employees.
All I can say is that in the next few years, nearly every company will need to incorporate some kind of “work-life” policy, especially because we are getting ready for the next generation when 80 million millennials start having children. Based on what we know about millennials in the workplace so far, they are sure to place a high priority on having adequate family time.
Hence, the challenge ahead for leaders, executives and HR departments in 2016 is to start setting clear expectations so that employees will have a clear vision that will lead to them becoming productive and happy in their jobs.
Ideally, people would wish for a 50/50 work-life balance; however, in practice, as employees are given more freedom in terms of when and where they work, there is a new expectation to be always “on”, always responsive and always available. In other words, employers expect their employees to be reachable outside of the office on their personal time, which can lead to an overwhelmed workforce that feels burned out.
At the same time, employers are trying to figure out how to make work easier and more meaningful to people to attract both the very ambitious people who really want to move up, drive the organisation forward and run things, as well as those who are not afraid of working hard but don’t want to ruin their lives.
In fact, as a leader of my own firm and as the mother of a daughter, I too am searching for the best blend of work-life balance myself. I recently had an opportunity to listen to the former CEO of Avon, Andrea Jung, who offered the inspirational comment that “[b]alance is possible, but not on the same day”.
In this sense, work-life balance doesn't always exist, but every day we should make a choice that will benefit us without feeling regretful that we did not choose otherwise. In other words, you can't have it all in one day, but over time you can.
All in all, I’d say we might not be able to find the absolute answer to the work-life balance dilemma; instead, I’d rather opt for a sense of personal organisation which might require some trade-offs.
What’s more, I have chosen a job that I love doing, and my own passion for my work may turn out to be the most important element helping me overcome the work-life balance struggle, because I am certain that at least I will not have any regrets later.
Still, what works for me might not work for you, but that’s the beauty of work-life integration as it is about finding ways to work and live better, however you define it.
--------------------------
Arinya Talerngsri is Group Managing Director at APMGroup, Thailand's leading Organisation and People Development Consultancy. She can be reached by e-mail at arinya_t@apm.co.th or https://www.linkedin.com/pub/arinya-talerngsri/a/81a/53b
For daily updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/apmgroupthai