A work-life balance is a state of equilibrium where a person equally prioritizes the demands of one's career and the demands of one's personal life. Some of the common reasons that lead to a poor work-life balance include increased responsibilities at work. Working longer hours. Okay, so let’s play Devil’s Advocate. It has now become more common for the typical employee to desire the non-monetary benefits of employment like Medical, Paid Time Off, Work-life Balance, etc. versus a higher salary. Fortunately, it is also becoming more common for organizations to make these requests a priority. However, what happens when a company prioritizes a non-monetary benefit like work-life balance – to the detriment of the organization?
Employers outweigh the benefits of the work-life balance. When it’s all said and done, the bottom line is the top priority for an organization. When employers prioritize a work-life balance in a growing environment, they find it difficult to further incentivize their employees to become more productive without increasing their salaries.
Difficulty meeting work demands. This tends to happen when employees are trying to balance very full work and personal schedules. As a result, neither home nor work can get a full 100 percent from the employee because they are constantly feeling guilty about where the other is lacking. Ironically, these can lead to both stress and burnout. Employees must remember that a work-life/balance is something you work on throughout your career. The way a work-life balance “looks” will change as the employee’s role changes within an organization.
Potential for financial loss. Being recognized and rewarded for your accomplishments is an employee’s dream. Unfortunately, that dream is deferred when an employee feels they cannot accept a promotion for fear of losing the current freedom that comes along with a work-life balance. Or the employee accepts the promotion only to get demoted because they are not able to meet the demands of the new position while maintaining their current schedule.
No matter what, having a work-life balance is critical to overall happiness. Having a career that prioritizes the employee and what they need, helps to eliminate:
• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job, and
• reduced professional efficacy
Practices like flexible work arrangements, providing care for dependent family members, vacation policies, imparting education or training, and promoting fitness and healthy living, are all effective ways to create a work-life balance.
Comments