The phrase ‘work-life balance’ has been given a certain gloss after its induction into the corporate lexicon, but the debate about achieving such an equilibrium had been raged in the past although the problems persist
SOURAJEET PRADHANI
“Now, I, who had nurtured him, carved him, and possessed him, took the fatal decision. Why did I ask him to continue? Why didn’t I tell him to come back immediately? Why did I tell him to reconsider his resignation? Didn’t it involve my own greed? These painful questions will always remain unrequited.”
This was stated by Sunil Gupta at the death of his 22-year-old Goldman Sachs employee son Sarvshreshth Gupta. This recent incident has once again triggered the debate about corporate work culture and the concept of work-life balance.
Work-life balance is not a neologism. It traces its root to the 18th century pivoting around the plethora of roles played by women in society. In the modern era, the term was given a certain flair and flamboyance by its induction into the corporate parlance. Now, the term has a direct correlation with employee productivity, job performance and job satisfaction. Work life balance is the enunciation of the desires of individuals to achieve a ‘balance’ between the ‘paid work’ (job) and ‘life’ (family, leisure and self-development) outside the ambit of work.
The concept of work life balance has evolved with time. With the paradigm shift in operations ‘quantity’ has been replaced by ‘quality’. With such a conspicuous presumption in mind, initially organisations operated by creating awareness that drove employees to achieve effectiveness as well as efficiency at the shortest period of time. As per definition, work-life balance focuses on work and how life can be fitted to it. It also amplifies the inevitable ‘trade-offs’, required to ensure balance between the two entities.
Evolution being an inevitable process, evolutionary potential is ingrained in every human being. Similarly, the concept of work-life balance is undergoing an evolutionary transformation.
Introspecting further, as elucidated in Mckinsey 7s model, the values and goals of the individual and the organisation should be aligned coherently, thus complementing every domain. Secondly, subconsciously we tend to learn a lot both in ‘work’ as well as ‘life’. Application of knowledge, skills and resources in one domain to another can also prove complementary. For example certain skills like planning and management can be shifted from organisational settings to domestic settings and vice versa.
The paradigm shift was a culmination of accumulation and assimilation of various things that took shape in the modern era. The advent of ‘e-enablement’ in the business world amalgamated the boundaries in which clear demarcation of professional and personal life became even more difficult.
Secondly, people still persist with the old mindset of quantity over quality, thus spending more number of hours at the workplace doing mundane work. Employees signing into the office, meander for a cup of coffee, followed by a game of table tennis and subsequently a smoke, return to their desks to start their meaningful work. Such attitude takes a toll on the quality of work.
Third, the evaluation process has changed priorities from ‘hard working’ to ‘smart working’. Quality being of a non-quantifiable character can sometimes become arbitrary and irrational. Hence in such scenarios, emotions and frustrations need to be sedated. Jack Welch in his book Straight from the Gut has referred to the role of wives in meeting such ends.
Finally, concepts like ‘flexi time’ and ‘work from home’ can encourage women to join the workforce and maintain their ‘work-life balance’. The various responsibilities and expectations that our society has bestowed on women makes work-life balance imperative for them.
So the role of organisations in ushering in work-life integration is twofold; firstly, they should create awareness amongst employees so that their families look at work and life from different perspectives where both complement each other. Secondly, organisations need to create ‘self-assessment mechanisms’ where the employees can assess where they stand in terms of work-life integration.
Finally, “Health is wealth” has a real significance. You may earn as much as you can, but what’s the point of earning so much if you can’t enjoy it?