Work-Life Balance

What Work-Life Balance really means!

Despite the worldwide quest for Work-Life Balance, very few have found an acceptable definition of the concept.

Work-Life Balance does not mean an equal balance. Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of your various work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic. Life is and should be more fluid than that.

Your best individual work-life balance will vary over time, often on a daily basis. The right balance for you today will probably be different for you tomorrow. The right balance for you when you are single will be different when you marry, or if you have children; when you start a new career versus when you are nearing retirement.

There is no perfect, one-size fits all, balance you should be striving for. The best work-life balance is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives.

The concept of work-life balance has had a huge shift in the past 30 years.  The fact that we all carry work around in our pocket 24/7 in the form of a smart phone, means that we actually don’t leave work behind any more.  So the ‘golden’ days of walking out of our workplace and not thinking or doing any work until the day starts again tomorrow, are sadly long gone.

Rather than thinking about it in terms of work-life balance, some people prefer to call it work-life well-being.  Work-life wellbeing is about making a personal prioritisation between “work” (career) on the one hand and “life” (Health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development).  At the core of effective work-life well-being are three key everyday concepts.  They are daily achievement, satisfaction and meaning.  The mix of work and life are about right for us, if we feel that we have achieved and reached our goals, we are satisfied with the priority areas of our life/work and there is meaning and worth in what we are doing.

A key point is that there is no perfect, one-size fits all, balance between work and life.  The best work-life balance is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives. This will also be different for different people and different stages of our life.

The second key point is that we need to consider how to have balance or well-being through the entire waking day, not just before or after work.  One area does not switch off and the other then switch on. 

The overview of current situation

The current recession pushes a lot of people to work harder than ever, but overextending yourself won't save your job. Managers and business owners experienced the greatest loss of well-being; businesses seem to have thrived, but this number decreased significantly every year.

Given the difficult economic climate and the number of jobs being lost daily, most of us are feeling the pressure to work harder than ever. But in spite of the increasing intensity of our economic crisis, it is not only unfortunate to give in to such pressure. It's not too late to make a change for the better, though.

Recall that one of five fundamental ethical principles is fairness, and that we demonstrate fairness in everyday life by how we allocate scarce resources. The most precious commodity you have is time, both in your professional and your personal life. It's also your most critical nonrenewable resource. We must constantly ask yourself how you should allocate your time. You know it's wrong to spend so much time on one project at the expense of equally critical ones, or to spend so much time managing one thing that you're unable to manage others.

Managing your career well means allocating your time wisely among the different projects and people you oversee, managing your life wisely means giving due time not just to work but to family, friends, community, self, and spirit. You wouldn't think of spending most of your work day talking with one client on the phone. Why, then, is it O.K. to devote so much time to your job when you don't give non-work-related things the attention they deserve?

Ethics isn't just about how you treat others. It's also about how you treat yourself—at work and beyond. You're not being fair to others and yourself if you haven't had a vacation in a long time, or if you force yourself to work when you've got the flu. You're also not being fair to others and yourself if you spend so much time being a good manager that you're not able to be a good parent, spouse, or friend. And let's face it: You can't do your job to the best of your ability if you're thoroughly exhausted, and that's not fair to your co-workers or your employer.

But working to the exclusion of all else isn't just unfair (and thus unethical). It's also tragic, because the time you spend away from the other meaningful relationships in your life is time you can never get back.

Popular Excuses for Working Too Much

Let's now look at some of the common excuses people give for working so much and how to get beyond them. .

"I want to make sure I keep my job."

What could be wrong with working all the time in such a climate if it will mean hanging onto your job? Speaking of ethics, isn't there an ethical obligation to keep your job? After all, what would be ethical about not paying bills, or your mortgage, or not being able to take care of your family?

Of course it's important to remain an employee in good standing. But you shouldn't assume that there is a direct correlation with the number of hours you work and the likelihood that you'll hold onto your job. Downsizing is largely a function of economics rather than of job performance; companies are letting people go to cut their losses and hit budget targets.

Working 12-hour days 6 or 7 days a week isn't going to guard against getting downsized.

In fact, it could even backfire. You might look like someone who can't manage his or her time or isn't up to the responsibilities of the job. And if you work without any letup, you will reach the point of diminishing returns. This isn't a time to be less than a stellar employee, but working overtime won't get you there.

"I need to work more to make what I did last year."

Many of the recently downsized are taking lower-paying jobs because that's all that is available. Some are even taking second jobs and still not making what they did a year ago. But how important is it now to live in the manner to which you have become accustomed? It's one thing to have to work 70 hours a week just to put food on the table and pay the rent or mortgage. It's another to work so much to be able to afford lavish trips, expensive clothes, or a certain lifestyle. Instead of working longer, couldn't you shift your priorities so that you're able to spend more time with family and friends, exercise more often, or even just read some of those books you've been thinking about?

"I have a demanding job."

Gone are the days when leaving your office meant leaving work behind. Many of us choose to use our BlackBerrys, iPhones, laptops, and social networking sites to remain constantly available to our bosses, clients, and colleagues, but this can get out of control. It's flattering to believe that you're indispensable to your company, and that only you can do the work you spend so much time doing. This is rarely true, however painful that may be to accept. Be honest with yourself: Are you spending so much time on the job because you must, or because of habit, ego, or some other reason? We owe it to ourselves and the people we care about (and who care about us) to work smarter, not harder.

"I just love to work."

It's a blessing to be able to say this, but all passions should have limits. A fully human life is a life in balance, and that means giving due time to all of the things that enrich us, fulfill us, and make our lives worth living. When Freud said that work and love were essential components of a happy life, he didn't mean that these were one and the same thing.

There is a time to work and a time to leave work behind. The good manager leaves time to do both.

Consequences of an Imbalance

Mental health is a balancing act that may be affected by four factors: the influence of unfavourable genes, by wounding trauma, by private pressures and most recently by the stress of working. Many people expose themselves unsolicited to the so-called job stress, because the "hard worker" enjoys a very high social recognition. These aspects can be the cause of an imbalance in the areas of life. But there are also other reasons which can lead to such an imbalance.

Remarkable is, for example, the increase in non-occupational activities with obligation character, which include mainly house and garden work, maintenance and support of family members or volunteer activities. All this can contribute to the perception of a chronic lack of time. This time pressure is, amongst others, influenced by their own age, the age and number of children in the household, marital status, the profession and level of employment as well as the income level. The psychological strain, which in turn affects the health, increases due to the strong pressure of time, but also by the complexity of work, growing responsibilities, concern for long-term existential protection and more. The mentioned stresses and strains could lead in the long term to irreversible, physical signs of wear as well as to negative effects on the human cardiovascular and immune systems.

Psychoanalysts diagnose uncertainty as the dominant attitude to life in the postmodern society. This uncertainty can be caused by the pressure which is executed from the society to the humans. It is the uncertainty to fail, but also the fear of their own limits, not to achieve something what the society expects, and especially the desire for recognition in all areas of life. In today's society we are in a permanent competition. Appearance, occupation, education of the children - everything is compared to a media staged ideal. Everything should be perfect, because this deep-rooted aversion to all average, the pathological pursue to excellence - these are old traditions. Who ever wants more - on the job, from the partner, from the children, from themselves - will one day be burned out and empty inside. He is then faced with the realization that perfection do not exist. Who is nowadays empty inside and burned out, has in the common language a Burnout. But due to the definitional problems Burnout is till this date no recognized illness. An attempt to define this concept more closely, can be: a condition that get only the passionate, that is certainly not a mental illness but only a grave exhaustion (but, lo and behold, can lead to numerous sick days). It can benefited to the term that it is a disease model which is socially acceptable and also, to some extent, the individual self-esteem stabilizing. This finding in turn facilitates many undetected depressed people, the way to a qualified treatment. According to experts in the field are, in addition to the ultra hard-working and the idealists mainly the perfectionist, the loner, the grim and the thin-skinned, especially endangered of a burnout. All together they usually have a lack of a healthy distance to work.

Another factor is also, that for example decision-makers in government offices and upper echelons are not allowed to show weaknesses or signs of disease etc., because this would immediately lead to doubts of the ability for further responsibility. It should be noted that only 20% of managers (e.g. in Germany) do sports regularly and also only 2% keep regularly preventive medical check-up. In such a position other priorities seem to be set and the time lacks for regular sports. Frightening is that the job has such a high priority, that people waive screening as a sign of weakness. In contrast to that, the burnout syndrome seems to be gaining popularity. There seems nothing to be ashamed to show weaknesses, but quite the opposite: The burnout is part of a successful career like a home for the role model family. Besides that the statement which describes the burnout as a "socially recognized precious version of the depression and despair that lets also at the moment of failure the self-image intact" fits and therefore concludes "Only losers become depressed, burnout against it is a diagnosis for winners, more precisely, for former winners.".

However, it is fact that four out of five Germans complain about too much stress. One in six under 60 swallows at least once a week, a pill for the soul, whether it is against insomnia, depression or just for a bit more drive in the stressful everyday life. The phases of burnout can be described, among other things, first by great ambition, then follows the suppression of failure, isolation and finally, the cynical attitude towards the employer or supervisor. Concerned persons have very often also anxiety disorders and depressions, which are serious mental diseases. Depressions are the predominant causes of the nearly 10,000 suicides that occur alone each year in Germany. The implications of such imbalances can be further measured in figures: In 1993, early retirement due to mental illness still made 15.4 percent of all cases. In 2008, there were already 35.6 percent. Even in the days of illness, the proportion of failures due to mental disorders increased. Statisticians calculated that 41 million absent days in 2008 went to the account of these crises, which led to 3.9 billion euros in lost production costs. For companies it is time to act and support their employees with a healthy work-life-balance.

The Increasing Call for Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is now the second most important driver of employee attraction and commitment, says CEB research.

The economic downturn has placed tremendous pressure on employees over their long-term job security. Employees are responding by seeking out employers that offer a better work-life balance, and research shows they work harder for those that do.

In the current economic environment, work-life balance now ranks as one of the most important workplace attributes—second only to compensation, according to research conducted by the Corporate Executive Board among more than 50,000 global workers. And employees who feel they have a better work-life balance tend to work 21% harder than those that don't.

The critical need to ensure an adequate work-life balance for employees in the downturn is largely being neglected by employers as more and more pressure is put onto employees. In 2006, 53% of employees felt they had a good work-life balance; that number fell to 30% in the first quarter of 2009.

Several misconceptions prevent organizations from optimizing their ability to deliver on the work-life balance promise. For example, most organizations mistakenly provide costly services, such as an on-site gym or health-care services when, in fact, fewer than 20% of employees actually value these types of benefits.

Instead, the best organizations recognize that the most appreciated service they can provide their employees is the "gift of time." In fact, more than 60% of the employees polled in the CEB study identified flexible schedules as the most important work-life practice their employer could provide.

In addition, most organizations focus on the actual consumption of work-life services they offer. Ironically, boosting workforce productivity does not hinge on employees actually participating in the work-life services offered by their employer. Employees just need to be reassured that the service is there and that they have the option to participate if they want to. In other words, the option value of work-life balance practices is more important at improving employee effort than the actual consumption of those same work-life balance practices.

The fact that nearly 60% of HR executives polled felt satisfied with the work-life services of their organization, while just 16% of employees felt the same, illustrates a fundamental disconnect when it comes to work-life benefits. The companies who most effectively address and close that gap stand the best chance of achieving the high levels of employee attraction and retention they seek.

Tips for Better Work-Life Balance

If you're feeling overworked and finding it more challenging than ever to juggle the demands of your job and the rest of your life, you're not alone.

A lot of people are having a more difficult time finding balance in their lives because there have been cutbacks or layoffs where they work. They're afraid it may happen to them, so they're putting in more hours. But even if you don't have much control over the hours you have to work, you can ask yourself: In what other ways am I bringing greater enjoyment into my life? The answer is "Focus your time and attention on things you can control."

Here are some ways to bring a little more balance to daily routine:

1. Build downtime into your schedule.

When making a plan for your week, make it a point to schedule time with the family and friends and activities that help us recharge. Set aside other demands and spend one evening with your family, or you  can try to eat at least one meal a day with your family, althought this does not always work.

If a date night with our spouses or a softball game with friends is on our calendar, we'll have something to look forward to and an extra incentive to manage our time well so we don't have to cancel.

2. Drop activities that sap your time or energy.

Many people waste their time on activities or people that add no value -- for example, spending too much time at work with a colleague who is constantly venting and gossiping. We are advised to take stock of activities that aren't really enhancing our career or personal life and minimizing the time we spend on them.

We may even be able to leave work earlier if we make a conscious effort to limit the time that spent on the web and social media sites, making personal calls, or checking bank balance. We often get sucked into these habits that are making us much less efficient without realizing it.

3. Rethink your errands.

Consider whether you can outsource any of your time-consuming household chores or errands.

Could you order your groceries online and have them delivered? Hire a kid down the street to mow your lawn? Have your dry cleaning picked up and dropped off at your home or office? Order your stamps online so you don't have to go to the post office? Even if you're on a tight budget, you may discover that the time you'll save will make it worth it.

It is also a good idea to do trading services with friends. Offer to do tasks that you enjoy or that you were planning to do anyway. You could exchange gardening services for babysitting services. If you like to cook, you could prepare and freeze a couple of meals and give them to a friend in exchange for wrapping your holiday gifts.

4. Get moving.

It's hard to make time for exercise when you have a jam-packed schedule, but experts say that it may ultimately help you get more done by boosting your energy level and ability to concentrate.

Research shows exercise can help us to be more alert, and when we don't exercise because we are trying to squeeze in another half hour of writing, we don't feel as alert.

5. Get a Checkup

Sometimes, the things that suffer in our busy lives have to do with our own personal health. Fast food, while a convenient time saver, can lead to weight and health problems. Managing your personal health is essential to balancing work and life.

Speaking of the importance of health and wellness to finding balance in your life, it's important to stay in touch with your physician as well. Review our checkups calendar to see if it is time for a physical, and what kinds of questions and tests you should anticipate and expect. Being informed about your health is an important part of work life balance.

6. Remember that a little relaxation goes a long way.

Don't get overwhelmed by assuming that you need to make big changes to bring more balance to your life. Setting realistic goals is recommended, such as trying to leave the office earlier one night per week.

Slowly build more activities into your schedule that are important to you, maybe you can start by spending an hour a week on your hobby of carpentry or planning a weekend getaway with your spouse once a year. Even during a hectic day, you can take 10 or 15 minutes to do something that will recharge your batteries like taking a bath, reading a trashy novel, going for a walk, or listening to music. You have to make a little time for the things that ignite your joy.

7. Stop Being A Workaholic

If you have already found yourself in an addictive pattern with your job, it is time to get out of that habit and commit more time at home. Learn the warning signs of workaholism and the best ways to climb out of that rut so you can find yourself at home more and make more time for better work life balance.

8. Simplify Your Life

Life tends to get much more complex nowadays, especially for those trying to balance so many demands. We should simplify our lives and to make more time for the things that really matter to us. We will be extremely amazed with how much more balance we can get when we start to simplify our lives..