Is work life balance even more of an issue now?
Hannah Beko
The Authentic Lawyer helping to increase authenticity in law, reduce overwhelm & burnout & provide transformation lawyers rave about | International Trainer & Keynote Speaker | Author | Trauma Informed Leader/Facilitator
Work life balance has been the holy grail for so many for so long especially in the legal profession!
Ironically the pandemic could have offered the chance for a healthy mix of work and family time, in a way people haven’t experienced before. For some people this has been the case. Or perhaps I should say for some people, some of the time. Much like the Coronavirus rollercoaster of emotions, experiences of work life balance seem to go up and down as well.
Home working has shown those who doubted it, that it is possible, which in my opinion is a huge leap forward. I’d certainly spoken to a number of property conveyancers (for example) immediately before lockdown who were adamant their role couldn’t be done at home. I didn’t like to say that I’d been doing it very successfully for the last 8 years including 10pm completions with multiple properties and large numbers of documents. I’m personally pleased that we've seen all manner of transactions and court hearings etc taking place from home.
It has not been all sunshine and roses…
It has not been all sunshine and roses however, although the weather at the start of lockdown was a blessing. If we had been going into winter instead of spring/summer when Covid-19 arrived, I would’ve been even more concerned for mental health than I have been! But, as we head towards winter we all need to be on the look out for those we care about, it won't be an easy time.
But, remote working has proved very challenging for everyone. Even those of us traditionally used to it.
Being unable to work anywhere else took a toll on me personally. I would visit my office in Manchester or London a few times a month and work from our local coffee shop on a weekly basis. I missed the coffee shop coconut latte and poached eggs more than any other shopping experience!
My husband and I took quite a few months to get the hang of taking turns using the home office and booking in our respective meeting times. It was a bit fraught for a while. We have a diary system to work around school drop off and pick up times like many families I'm sure.
What I heard from many was that work life balance (if they ever had it pre-pandemic) practically disappeared during and after lockdown. This seems to be equally true for both men and women.
Boundaries between work time and home time have diminished, or are not there at all.
There is often no separation between workspace and home area, either physically or importantly mentally. Logging on in the evening is becoming even more common. Many have been working longer hours than they did before.
The long-suffered commute has become something people are actually missing, as at least it was a little time to themselves, with their own thoughts, music or podcast maybe.
We are now facing a new challenge. The not knowing how long this situation will last and what the world of work will look like when we do emerge.
The new challenge I see is that many want or even need, for their long term mental health and happiness, to reassess the work life balance pre and post lockdown. This is an opportunity for both organisations/businesses and individuals to make changes that last.
This is an opportunity to make changes that last…
During lockdown I re-read my first blog post of the year “New Year 2020” as I like many others at the start of 2020, had been filled with a sense of hopeful anticipation for this year. Of course, it has turned out to be a year unlike any other we are ever likely to see in our lifetime again. But, the spirit of that early year post isn’t completely redundant.
In that post I said, it feels to me that we’ve not only borrowed money to buy what we want when we want it, but we’ve “borrowed” against our futures by sacrificing too much of our health and happiness in the pursuit of [ ] (insert whatever this is for you here).. I’d like us to look back on 2020 as the year we take back a sense of peace and happiness amidst all the chaos.
If reassessing your priorities and your work life balance is something you’d like to spend a few hours considering, get in touch to have a chat about a work life balance coaching session.
I have had my three children home with me since last March after their schools closed due to Covid. I cooked their meals every day, and I even carved out time to teach my son, who missed half of his kindergarten year, how to read and write. If it meant I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. to get it all done, then that’s what I did. Regardless of the added responsibilities, I feel so grateful that I have been ABLE to work, and I also feel so grateful I have been ABLE to be there for my children every day. I think being present, staying positive, focusing fully on each individual task, and taking each day a minute at a time with patience and love has been the key to figuring out this very mixed together work/family life. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Business Storytelling Coach & International Speaker | Speaking about leadership and business storytelling to help leaders influence, advance in their career and engage employees
4 年I love the quote you used, it really spoke to me
Helping companies create visible senior leaders who successfully leverage internal communications to drive change, increase employee engagement and retention.
4 年Timely article and agree that you have to watch the balance almost daily at the moment! So many demands of us. And recognising that balance is not perfection! We are all just doing our best.
Helping businesses simplify their S&OP/IBP processes so they increase their productivity and profits
4 年It feels like WLB has been redefined this year! Changing the balance from week to week makes a lot of sense.
I work with parents and brands to improve children's gut health | Chair BDA Paediatric Group
4 年That's such a great point, it is all about balancing the scales and some weeks will be different to others.