Work-Life Balance – Is Live to Work or Work to Live the New Normal?

Work-Life balance has been a hot topic of discussion during the office breaks and HR connects. In the current times, with the evolution of technology, the employers can be in touch with their employees round the clock. 

As per the Factories Act 1948, an employee is only allowed to work for 48 hours in a week and cannot exceed 9 hours a day. However, in a typical day of any employee working in a corporate, this number exceeds. Almost 95% of working professionals end up working for more than 50 hours a week. The reasons cited are fear of losing a job, colleagues doing overtime or a new culture of staying late in the office. In some of the workplaces, an employee is being looked down upon if he/she tries to leave office after completing 8 hours. 

What’s the New Normal in Balancing Work-Life?

This new wave of working culture has become the reason for over-stressed employees which in turn is impacting their personal life & relationships. The technology has made the life even worse—since the emails & instant messengers can be accessed on the smartphones and employees are expected to leave their contact numbers on the Out Of Office emails during their vacation. According to a recent study, the lack of physical activity (desk job & traffic woes) and too much stress among employees has resulted in a sharp increase in lifestyle diseases namely, back/neck problems, obesity to name a few.

The recent pandemic situation has added to the woes—since now the employers expect more from their employees as they are saving time on travelling to the office and those required lunch/smoke breaks. Work helps us to grow professionally, pay our bills and maintain the desired lifestyle so it is IMPORTANT, but so is LIFE.

Maintaining a great work-life balance can prove beneficial not only for your relationships & health but also helps in increasing productivity. Also, if an individual has a better sense of control over his/her personal life & happiness, it will reflect positively on their professional commitments. The motivation level is higher for the employees with good work-life balance which in turn helps them in achieving & over-achieving their individual targets. 

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While your employer may come up with a strategy to reduce stress among its employees, there are few things that everyone can incorporate in their daily life:

• Make a To-do list of all the tasks that needs to be completed in a particular day and give each task a time-frame. This will help you to be more organized and effectively manage time.

• Since 90% of the corporate job requires sitting, it is important to involve exercise in your routine. Make a habit of getting up from your workstation after every 1 hour and walk a little, stretch your body.

• Leave your work at the workplace. Once you step out of the office, stop thinking about projects/deadlines/presentations. It is very important to set discipline and notify your team that you will not be available beyond your work hours.

• It is important to prioritize the work. There are a few hours in a day when any individual is the most productive, use those hours for your important tasks and try to finish them so that you have time to spare.

• It is important not to get tempted to check your emails on a weekend. If you access your work emails on your phone, turn off the notifications for the weekend.

• It is important to spend time with your family & friends, taking a vacation and acquiring a hobby to avoid the BURNOUT.

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Prioritizing is necessary, be it your work, health or personal life. Therefore creating a schedule that works best for you can help in achieving a work-life balance. What’s more, employees who achieve work-life balance are an advantage to employers since they take less sick leaves, don’t burnout and more productive. So take control of your life!