Work Life Balance isn’t Good vs. Evil
Many organizations strive to offer “work/life balance,” and for many employees, work/ life balance is a goal as well – one made more difficult by the way technology blurs the boundaries that separate “work” and your “life.” But there is often a misconception that the balance is between a bad thing (work) and a good thing (life). For truly engaged individuals, or those who work in jobs they simply love, that line is fuzzy or nonexistent.
Telecommuting is one way that many organizations are trying to increase work life balance. Thanks to technology this is increasingly possible depending on the job function. This balance is helpful for individuals who have long (either distance or time) commutes to the office. It’s even possible individuals will become disengaged if their commute is too long.
Gallup has found that employees who work remotely are more engaged (32%) than employees who work on-site (28%) and work more hours – 46 hours a week for remote employees compared to 42 for on-site employees. This reinforces that allowing employees flexibility in work environments can be beneficial for the organization and the productivity and engagement levels of employees.
While technology has increased our ability to have work life balance through the new ways of telecommuting and working from just about anywhere, it’s also caused a bit of trouble. We can now always be connected to our emails. When you get home from work you are still able to receive and respond to emails, which means we are just extending our workday into the evening and the “life” side. The ease of connecting can actually cause disengagement if the individual isn’t able to manage their disconnecting time.
Work life balance should be turning into work life blending. Because of technology, and its ability to extend the workday, or relocate the place in which you work, we need to adjust to the new style of working. This means disconnecting from work when appropriate. Researchers have found that continuing to work at the end of the day when you go home prevents the brain from recovering and relaxing after a long day – this is essential because it tends to increase stress levels. Over use of technology is also linked to sleep and other psychological issues. Managing your connected time when you go home is becoming more crucial in work life balance.
Remember, when you evaluate your work life balance it should be an ideal blend of both. Also, start to change your perception that work is bad and life is good; this changes depending on the different events going on in both work and life. Lastly, disconnecting and managing your use of technology can significantly increase your success in work life balance and blending.
– Kaitlyn Carr, Manager of Creative Development, @EmplyEngagement, @kacarr789
