Balancing Life and Career

Achieving the optimal work-life balance has always been an elusive challenge for most. Despite the recent push to return to work, offices across the country remain almost half empty. During the pandemic, many people opted for a flexible work mode, while many others pivoted to more exciting careers that were then made available remotely by many companies to entice experienced workers.

According to a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, 60% of working adults report that work is a significant source of stress in their lives. A recent survey also indicates that three out of five workers would prefer better work-life flexibility over increased compensation. Not addressing the mental well-being of our staff could ultimately lead to many physical problems, including cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and psychological disorders.

What is Work-Life Balance? Michele Obama once said, “we need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list”. The WLB means finding time to get your work done, while enjoying every precious moment of life. It is a delicate balance that evolves with major life-events, like getting married, buying a house, having grandchildren, taking care of elderly parents, to name a few.

Address The New-Norm Challenge. If the pandemic taught one thing that is to never get so busy making a living that we forget about living the life. To be effective in a hybrid work-model, we ought to establish a welcoming home-office environment where spending long hours is a fun experience. We ought to use the camera often, with an increased awareness of being visible to others. I was inspired by my then 78-year-old mother, who had to adopt new technology so that she could maneuver her way through facilitating a bunch of high school kids remotely. I told myself back then… if she could pivot, so could I. ?

Inspire Your Team to Discuss WLB. Steven Coffee once said, “the key is in not spending time, but in investing it.” I continue to encourage my team to have candid dialogue with their supervisors to ensure we don’t miss out on celebrating the critical life-moments. Talk about accompanying your children as they get braces on for the first time. Discuss the experience as you enroll elderly parents in assisted living home. Share the sentiment as you go with your family to pick up their forever fur-friend.

Positives of The Hybrid-Norm. Gary Keller, the real estate entrepreneur, once said, “work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls – family, health, friends, and integrity, are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.”. According to a study conducted by Buffer, 20% of remote workers report loneliness as their biggest challenge. To get the most out of the hybrid work-model, we ought to carve out personal time during our hectic work-schedule to recharge our mental strength. We are the CEOs of our own careers, so it is imperative that we hold ourselves accountable for our own professional growth.

In conclusion, while working from home provides flexibility and eliminates commute time, it could also create new challenges. A FlexJobs study found that 75% of remote workers report working more hours than they would in a traditional office setting. While working from home, our staff may find it challenging to separate work from personal life, thus leading to longer work hours. We must take Michele Obama’s advice to heart and do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list”. We ought to allow ourselves to lead a healthy and balanced life to increase our job satisfaction, avoid unintended burnout, and to improve our overall productivity.