Work Life Balance

• Work and personal life were once thought to be two distinct goals. However, as a result of globalisation and growing workplace demands, companies and individuals alike are becoming more aware of the need of preserving work-life balance. Workers who spend a significant portion of their workdays at work, or who sometimes put in long hours, must strike a balance between their personal and professional obligations.
• The phrase “work-life balance” first appeared in the early 1980s as a result of a dramatic increase in the number of working women professionals who were also parents to young children. Employee demand for preserving a work-life balance has increased to an unprecedented degree, and management has also recognised its significance given the present circumstances. The question of work-life balance is expected to be highly debated in boardrooms in the future, and it will be a significant worry for HR and management experts.
• The phrase “work-life balance” describes how to effectively manage or strike a balance between one’s paid employment and their anticipated personal or social obligations. Both organisational productivity and employee well-being may be impacted by work life in a variety of ways.
• Lack of conflict between work and other responsibilities in life is known as work-life balance. It’s the balance when the responsibilities of work, family, and personal life are all met. Work-life balance includes, but is not limited to, flexible work schedules that let staff members participate in other activities and programmes in their lives. The phrase “work-life balance” has a very recent history, having been coined in the US and UK in the late 1970s and 1980s, respectively. The phrase “work-life balance” is often used to characterise the harmony that an employed person need between the amount of time dedicated to their job and other facets of their lives. Personal interests, family, and social or recreational activities are examples of aspects of life outside work-life balance. Thanks to technology advancements, business duties may now be completed more quickly thanks to the usage of email, video chat, cellphones, and other applications. With the help of these technological advancements, people may work from anywhere and don’t need a regular “9 to 5” workday.
• The following are some areas where work-life difficulties may have an influence, along with some opportunities and concerns related to them:
• Effect on Growth and Profitability
• Overwhelming pressure to meet growth and profitability objectives leads to stress, lowers worker productivity, and messes with workers’ work-life balance. A well thought-out and executed work-life balance approach may significantly reduce perceived and actual work pressure, which will positively boost employee productivity and result in a favourable return on investment.
• Workplace Engagement of Employees and Customer Service Quality
• An unbalanced work-life balance can negatively impact workers’ full participation at work and lower the quality of services they provide to clients. Conversely, if staff members believe that management values their contributions and presence, and if the company is dedicated to supporting their personal and professional development, then the level of service will be dependable and constant.
• The approach of Talent Acquisition and the associated Difficulties
• Their expectations for a positive work-life culture have grown due to the growing proportion of baby boomers in the workforce and the comparatively young age of working professionals. They anticipate that in addition to their business obligations, they will also need to take care of their social and personal obligations. Work-life balance concerns are now thought to be the main causes of a high staff turnover rate, which is unquestionably costly for the company. According to research, Johnson & Johnson was able to reduce employee absenteeism by over 50% by offering flextime alternatives and implementing employee welfare programmes.
• Growing Medical & Medications Costs
• Many workers are dealing with lifestyle-related illnesses and serious health issues as a result of increased job pressure and never-ending demands. The corporations are now very concerned about this because of the sharp decline in employee productivity and the rising expense of healthcare. These worries have forced management to prioritise work-life balance and make the workplace healthy by putting various development programmes into place.
• In the current context, work-life initiatives are required of the management; they are not a choice. The reason for this is that workers anticipate the management’s attention and help when it comes to work-life difficulties. These days, HR has the added duty of putting a variety of initiatives into action to make the company a desirable location for workers to work.
• reasons for an unbalanced work-life schedule
• Three moderators—gender, amount of time spent at work, and family dynamics—have been linked to work-life imbalance.
• Gender
• Due to the different ways that genders see their roles, there may be an imbalance between work and life. Research has shown that males put their professional responsibilities ahead of their home responsibilities in order to support their families financially, whereas women put their families first.
• Working hours
• Working long hours because of “inflexibility, changing in job needs, overtime or late work obligations” may cause work and family responsibilities to become unbalanced. It has been shown “that time spent at work was unrelated to cross-domain pleasure, but strongly correlated with both work interference with family and family interference with work.” The fact that contentment is a subjective metric may be the cause of this. Having said that, depending on the person, lengthy hours may be seen in a good or unfavourable light. Working long hours has an impact on family responsibilities, but there are also financial rewards that come with it that offset this impact.
• traits of the family
• Employers who are single, married, cohabiting, parents who are employers, and parents who earn two incomes are examples of family traits. Because they have more responsibilities or tasks to their families, working parents report lower levels of family happiness. This is because they can’t manage to finish these household responsibilities. Furthermore, parent workers prioritise family-oriented pursuits; hence, extended work hours diminish their capacity to live up to this identity, which in turn diminishes family contentment. Marriedand/or co-earning couples seem to “need more time and effort at home but also serve as a resource for people, both instrumentally via greater income and emotionally through improved empathy and support.”
• Many individuals subject themselves to uninvited work stress in addition to these moderators who may generate an imbalance since they receive great social acknowledgment. An imbalance in any area of life may also stem from this factor. Other vocational activities, such as volunteer work, helping out around the home and garden, caring for and supporting family members, or other unpaid labour, might also cause this imbalance. The impression of a persistent shortage of time is influenced by all of them. Time constraints result in pressure, which is felt differently by each person according to their age, age and number of children living in the home, marital status, occupation and degree of work, and income. Excessive time constraints cause psychological stress, which has an impact on one’s health. Aside from these factors, other factors that contribute to psychological strain include job complexity, increasing duties, worries about long-term existential safety, and more. Long-term impacts on the human cardiovascular and immunological systems, as well as permanent outward indications of wear, might result from the pressures and strains previously discussed.
• Below are some advantages of work-life balance.
• Satisfaction: Individuals who successfully strike a balance between their personal and professional lives feel happy and fulfilled.
• Health: A healthy work-life balance lowers the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and other major cardiac diseases, as well as lifestyle-related illnesses.
• Enhanced Productivity: Employee performance and productivity at work will both increase with a better work-life balance.
• Strengthen Relationship: Collaboration in both professional and personal relationships is facilitated by work-life balance. When both are in balance, conflicts are better handled or resolved.
• Benefits of Work-Life Balance Culture for the Organization
• Time savings for employees:
• Organizations may increase employee productivity and help them plan and use their time more effectively by helping them define clear priorities by creating a supportive and friendly work environment.
• Employee Retention: Work-life balance efforts may help reduce the additional costs that a company may have to pay when an employee leaves or is terminated, in addition to increasing the number of employees who are retained.
• Boost staff morale and motivation, as well as their dedication to the job.
• According to studies, motivated workers are more efficient and provide the most assistance for the development of the company.
• Absenteeism rate reduction: Research indicates that work-life balance initiatives, when well executed by a business, may almost halve the absenteeism rate.
• aids in Acquiring a competitive benefit or edge: The implementation of work-life policies and practises, such as flexible work arrangements, shift work, and other measures, can enhance an organization’s competitiveness, cater to evolving customer needs, and facilitate the attainment of its strategic objectives.
• Boost the Organization’s Reputation: When successfully designed and executed, work-life balance initiatives can boost an organization’s reputation by helping it draw in top talent and earning recognition as one of the best places to work.
• Create a Loyal Workforce: Policies and programmes that promote the general well-being of employees and are friendly to them will undoubtedly aid in creating a workforce that is dedicated and devoted.

Reduction of Conflicts: By providing employees with flexible work schedule options, employers can assist staff members in rearranging their schedules to accommodate personal obligations or work from home, thereby mitigating the likelihood of work-life conflicts.