Work-life balance is a changing concept and means different things to different people. When balance is not possible, work-life integration is useful.
The Covid-19 pandemic and world events over the last four years have changed the workplace. More and more people are working from home, part or all of the time. More and more employees are looking for meaning in their work. Yet women in leadership positions claim that work-life balance continues to be an issue.
Barriers to achieving balance
Because of the dynamics of the job market and more and more people working hybrid or remote jobs, being always available is more impossible than ever. When work is done on a computer, it’s easy to “plug in” back to the office when needed after the workday is over. However, this poses health risks, including mental health. The lack of boundaries and the inability to “switch off” after the end of the working day prevent a balance from being achieved.
Heads of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion departments often feel they are competing for relevance with other business requirements. They work to ensure that the decision-making room is populated with people of different genders, ages and backgrounds that reflect the company’s team. The sense of imbalance sets the stage for burnout and other mental health issues.
Successful examples of integrating life and work
For employees in Dolby’s U.S. unit, every other Friday is a day off. They thus enjoy more than 26 three-day weekends a year. At Jumio, employees create their own schedules so they can better balance their family tasks and prioritize their health.
TriNetX offers employees unlimited paid vacation days. McMaster-Carr, on the other hand, insists on the freedom to not respond to emails outside of work hours, which creates space for personal pursuits.
Bounteous observes what it calls “quiet hours” – a four-hour block of time for a person to focus on tasks that require focus. In this way, they combat fatigue from online conversations and improve their overall well-being.
