If I see one more job ad that says “Work-life balance” I’m going to interview in my pajamas!

“Work-life Balance”

An over-used cliché, that’s still going strong. I say cliché because it’s often mistaken for job perks and employee benefits - which are clearly not adding balance to your life.

The phrase is Googled an average of 50,000 times per month. I wonder if that’s employers trying to find out what it means. Or employees, trying to work out what it is in practice?

I know what it means to me, but I‘m a single millennial with no dependents.

So I had a chat to some people who work in our agencies to understand what it means to them and get a range of views.

When you ask people to articulate what “Work-life balance” (WLB) means to them, it’s not always that easy to do. For a lot of people WLB means working less hours. For others it might be moving their start and finish time back an hour to do the school drop-off and avoid peak traffic. Or maybe it’s being able to work part time, or work some days from home.  

One guy I know likes to be able to go for a run at lunch (then shower and eat), so having that longer break 1.5-hour break in the middle of the day and working later (to miss peak hour traffic) gives him balance. There are also benefits to getting your blood pumping with a run – especially in creative industries. Many people find it gives them clarity, focus and boosts their ability to problem solve.

Personally, I get so much done when working from home in my PJ’s. Can I just have one day a week where I work in my PJ’s please???

It’s amazing how much of a difference these small things can make to an employee’s week.

For my generation WLB can mean being able to take a 3-week holiday (without the guilt trip) once a year because traveling is how we regenerate, get inspired and gather content for our social media feeds.

For the older members of the team who have worked at pace for 30 years, WLB often means being able to reduce their hours to focus on family, passion projects or health & well-being.

And for parents it’s often about being able to work from home when you have a sick child, being able to finish early, or being able to start later.

What does it mean to you?

The general themes that support WLB across all demographics are:

Flexibility: Being able to change or vary your work hours.

Trust: Having the kind of employer/employee relationship that is built on trust. The trust you to get the job done, whether you are offsite, onsite, working part time or varied hours.

Respect and Appreciation: If you respect and appreciate one another nobody takes the p*ss. If you appreciate one another, neither party will resent it when there’s give and take.

If the foundation of establishing WLB in your career is based on the above themes, it’s actually quite easy to implement and negotiate. It just requires an open minded, and people-led management strategy. So it won’t work for every business (lol).

I think we’ve all worked for at least one employer who measured your value on minutes spent at your desk, instead of output and results. If you encounter one of these stuck-in-the-dark-ages tyrants no amount of so-called perks will give you WLB.

My advice is to move on, those companies and leaders don’t change. Occasionally they evolve, but the pace is like a snail on ketemine.

My Tips for finding Work Life Balance:

·      Be a star player and likeable - Companies will do anything to hang onto top performers. If you want more control over your work schedule (hours, location), be a star performer, kick goals and constantly deliver results. If you also get along well with the team and are genuinely liked by everyone, your employer if far more likely to give you flexibility.

·      When looking for a new job, seek out managers and companies who are progressive and try to do things differently. Look for companies that frequently adapt and evolve. See what they are already doing for their employees in this space and what the general appetite for offering employees flexibility it. It’s easier to join a business that has already adopted WLB practices.

·      Before you accept a job because they said “Work life balance” in the ad, or before talking to your employer about needing WLB, be really clear about what that looks like on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis for you. If you don’t know what you want, your employers won’t be able to give it to you. 

·      Evaluate possible future employers on the caliber of their behaviour not the statements they make i.e. what example do their Senior staff set? Do they work weekends regularly, and are they ‘always available’ or have they set boundaries between their work and personal life?

·      Love what you do and do what you love. If you don’t love what you’re doing, maybe it’s time to change career. No amount of WLB will make you enjoy a job that’s not right for you.  

·      There is no such thing as the “perfect job” so stop looking for it. You’ve got a better chance of finding a Kardashian at a Mensa meeting. We need to learn to be happy with 80%. Perfection is a myth.

·      Take responsibility for the part you play in achieving WLB i.e stop reading or replying to emails after hours. Steer your own boundaries and make the most of your time on the clock. Don’t waste time on social media or going to long lunches so you can leave work at a reasonable time. Work smarter not harder.

·      Balance comes from conscious planning. Like any goal, achieving balance requires planning, strategy and focus to achieve. Make a plan, stick to it. Don’t be your own worst enemy.

·      Start small - Work out simple changes you can implement (with your employer) that will make a difference and then build up from there.

·      Make a deliberate decision to carve out time (outside of work) for the things that are important (and away from a screen). Don’t fritter your spare time away on trivial pursuits.

I’d love to hear what small (or big things) you’re doing to create a little more Work Life Balance in your life, your workplace or your team. Writing about it has made me realize I probably need to take my own advice!

You can email me on: [email protected]