Work life balance is a fallacy – and why acknowledging it is better for your wellbeing

Work life balance is not an achievable goal. It’s a transient state of being.?

It’s something I’ve seen and experienced time and time again over the course of my career. You can plan that morning gym session, commit to leaving your desk at lunch and promise to shut the laptop at 5.30pm – but it’s not always possible.??

Of course, it’s certainly something we should strive for but how often, and for how many of us, is ‘balance’ a waking reality? In my experience it’s more realistic to expect that our focus on life, work and family commitments will ebb and flow with the demands that are put on us. Sometimes certain things must take precedent. I believe it’s ok – and even healthy – to acknowledge that.?

If you’ve started your own business, there’s no way you’re having a free evening, weekend, or waking thought for the next several years – trust me I know! The same goes for new parents or those now having to look after their own. We become consumed by the things that need our attention, so looking for balance in times like this is a fallacy. It only sets us up for disappointment and feelings of failure.?

Even if you work for a people first business like Acacium Group, your best efforts can be undermined by pressures that come from within. Not wanting to let colleagues and customers down, to take pride in our work and to get ahead in our careers are all positive drivers of behaviours that can sometimes have negative consequences. Many of us say ‘yes’ too often and fill our plates with work, family and extra-curricular activities to become the healthy, successful, well-rounded people we aspire to be.?

It’s these pressures, both internal and external, which can have a detrimental effect on our health and wellbeing. And if it’s not good for your people, it’s not good for your business. This is what inspired me to volunteer as the executive sponsor of Acacium Group’s wellbeing network earlier this year.??

So far, we’ve launched a dedicated wellbeing space on our intranet and have appointed wellbeing champions across the Group. These champions have run working groups across our 26 brands, collating what our staff want and need from a wellbeing perspective. These insights have helped inform a calendar of educational workshops and activities mapped out across the year.??

Wellbeing can mean different things to different people but the dictionary definition ‘is the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy’. This is something that naturally goes hand in hand with the concept of work life balance. However, aggressively striving for ‘balance’ in times when it’s far from possible is just another hurdle to overcome.??

Built on the 4 pillars of wellbeing: mental, physical, financial, and social wellbeing,?Acacium Group’s wellbeing strategy has been designed to give our staff the tools to better understand and overcome their own personal wellbeing challenges. Like life, these challenges will evolve and change, with different pillars requiring a closer degree of attention at different times.??

We’ve also launched 2 further pillars to support wellbeing from a personal and professional growth perspective. Acacium Group will seek to support ‘Personal growth’ through mentoring, coaching, performance management and succession planning, where our ‘valued at work’ pillar explores how our company culture can bolster personal wellbeing. This includes education around developing healthy ways of working, value-based management and leadership training and recognition.???

Online connectivity has meant there are increasingly fewer divisions between our work and personal lives - even more so after the pandemic. And this is one of the things I have personally struggled with. Have I been guilty of having one eye on my inbox during dinner when a critical deadline is fast approaching? Absolutely, but the same has applied when an urgent family matter has taken precedence.?

The challenge of regulating screen time and accommodating the needs of flexible working are linked. For instance, ‘camera on’ calls are better for connecting with colleagues, allowing you to pick up on non-verbal cues and build relationships – but it’s widely acknowledged these on-screen interactions lead to greater fatigue.?

A survey by the CIPD found that more than two thirds of employers said that the increase in homeworking either boosted or did not negatively impact productivity. And that’s no surprise to me considering those internal drivers we discussed above.??

Although we’re now two years down the line from this mass-move to remote working, it’s still early days. Employees and businesses must work together to define healthy boundaries – and what's right for one may not be right for all. This is where it serves our leaders to be pragmatic, to trust their teams to make the right choices for themselves.??

It’s up to all of us to be aware of the demands and pressures on us and then respond accordingly. This is of course, easier said than done - but it is doable. Specifically addressing wellbeing in one to ones, having a portfolio of resources to call on and a culture that invites people to come to work as their whole, fallible, human selves, makes this self-reflection a much easier and manageable process.?

How do you mange your own personal wellbeing? Has there been a time when striving for the perfect work life balance has had a detrimental effect?

If you want to work somewhere where wellbeing is intrinsically intertwined with the business’ culture and values, I invite you to take a look at our latest opportunities here .