New perspectives on work-life balance

A few days ago, I wondered whether or not we've seen a decline in the conversation around work-life balance in the last few months, especially in the last 12 months- many months after the pandemic began. Maybe it was just me, but I noticed that the ferocity of discussion has slowed down a bit, though not completely.

To investigate this hypothesis, I searched Google trends for the last 12 months and compared wellbeing and work-life balance to see a correlation. Astonishingly, I found that wellbeing as a topic of the search was several times more prevalent than work-life balance. I added 'fulfillment,' and that tracked parallel to wellbeing. In other words, wellbeing and fulfillment were far more important than work-life balance as a subject of interest. I reproduce the chart below.?

To appease the purists, I must say that this is only a gut check, and I am confident that a more thorough investigation will shed new light on the matter. However, I'm not writing here to prove a point; I write to provoke thought.?

When we first started working from home due to the pandemic, we celebrated the time saved from long commutes and reduced travel - proclaiming it helped improve work-life balance. However, achieving a healthy work-life balance involves more than just cutting down on your travel times and workload. Work-life balance does not mean working less and living more. What matters is how satisfying each one is. Fulfilling work and fulfilling life are both important in determining whether one's work-life is in the balance. In other words, it is not about the 'quantum'- it is about the 'quality.'?I believe that simply resolving problems that are draining both work and personal life does not guarantee a better work-life balance.?Of course, it's essential to address things that drain your energy, whether at work or in your personal life. But it's not enough.

Consider energy-draining activities at work: bureaucracy, mind-numbing meetings, micromanagement, inadequate trust, dysfunctional teams, and a demanding workload (to name just a few). Now consider those factors that sap your energy in life: chores around the house, long commutes, even caregiving without help (to name just a few). Any of these, when overwhelming, results in work-life imbalance, or maybe even work-life insanity, as some may say. Fixing these issues could bring about a breakeven but not an enrichment. In other words, these are factors that focus simply on the hygienic aspects of a person's work-life balance. The real work-life balance, or harmony or integration, happens when work and life are elevated to a motivational level, moving beyond the hygiene level.?

What people aspire for is quite simple- both a satisfying workplace and happy personal life, and this essentially can be translated to professional fulfillment and personal wellbeing. That is why, if you look at the google trends, fulfillment and wellbeing go hand-in-hand and trump all other related search terms.?

What are those factors that elevate work to drive a sense of professional fulfillment? Here is what I learned in my research: A compelling organizational purpose, a sense of inclusion, fairness, and equity, an equation of trust and collaboration, and (this one was a pleasant addition) - connecting with the beneficiaries of one's work (think of nurses rejoicing at saving a life, or a teacher's pride in a child's accomplishments). The last one is important- something that we realized during the pandemic. Many essential workers were willing to take personal health risks, because for them, helping the other person gave them a sense of compassion that uplifted them. This, in my opinion, is a component of organizational life that is underutilized. As a company, we must make sure that our staff understands the impact their job has on the lives of others: their colleagues, their community, and of course, their customers.?This is when organizational purpose meets personal purpose- so much so- people may be willing to put up with personal inconveniences to aid those in need. Something else struck out for me throughout the pandemic. When we think of 'customers' as people in need, and when we think of our staff as essential workers who fulfill customers' needs, our empathy and concern for both grow!?

Now to discuss the life side of the equation. As a result of the pandemic, we've come to appreciate what's truly important in life: Good health, strong family ties, strong social networks, a generous community, a stroll through the garden, and a trip to the beach all contribute to a long and happy life. Such factors make a difference between merely 'existing' in the world and 'living.' They make life worthwhile- they result in wellbeing! Are you surprised that wellbeing is one of the most highly searched words on Google? By the way, having a satisfying workplace, but merely existing in life, or vice-versa, having a fulfilling life, but a miserable workplace creates work-life misery or imbalance!

The following chart conceptualizes what I said above in?a simplistic manner.

Here's my clincher. Rather than engaging in activities that drain their energy (hygiene factors), organizations and individuals might benefit from concentrating on activities that enhance energy (motivational factors). Of course, one needs to minimize the energy-draining factors, no doubt- but focusing on factors that uplift, elevate and fulfill work and life offer higher leverage on work-life balance. Also, some of the energy-draining aspects of 'life' are sometimes unavoidable- someone does need to take out the garbage, someone needs to make the bed, and someone needs to take care of the sick child.?

You can try an exciting exercise. Use the above chart on work-life fulfillment as a template and reflect on the energy-draining and energy-enhancing factors in your work and life. You can then determine where you are in your fulfillment equation.

In summary, we may be thinking of work-life balance in the wrong way, after all. Yes, one has to 'fix/ repair/reduce' energy-draining activities- but they are hygiene factors- they get us to break even. The focus should also be on the right-hand side- on elevating work and life- resulting in work-life fulfillment, not just balance.

Do you agree?