Evolving definition of Work Life Balance
Work-life balance was part of most workplace conversations pre-Covid. The concept assumed work and life as two separate entities and tried to give each equal proportions of attention. Covid came with remote working, and many organizations realized that work and life are integral. Work itself is a part of life, and their blending is unpreventable. It took a taste of remote working to realize that and usher in a new concept — work-life blending.
What Is Work-Life Blend? (NOT work life balance). Work-life blending helps employees become more flexible, productive, and mentally healthy. This new concept has moved from being two separate aspects of an employees life, to blending and integrating professional and personal lives in everyday life. Blending work and life can be waking up early to put in more hours so you can create more time for family functions, or relocating to a more serene neighborhood, so you work more productively.
Let's Blend More…
Both lives (professional and personal) shouldn’t compete or strike a perfect balance but should be flexible enough to accommodate the other. As the line between our personal and professional lives becomes more blurry, there are overlaps regarding our roles as colleagues, parents and friends,, there are zero struggles for work-life balance and no worries about high work time since work is integrated with social and personal lives. Work no longer denies you the life you want.
Each day spent meeting personal and professional goals increases the work-life blending appeal. We’ve discovered that we can live both lives comfortably while staying productive and physically and mentally healthy.
It is a Delicate Balance..
When you hear blend, don’t assume that you should work all the time and from everywhere or work while there's other things happening in your personal time. People do need predictable and specific marked time off. We do need boundaries so that we are not working 24/7 and creating burnout. A blend is being able to shut off when needed and still being able to meet your deliverables without being penalized.
Both Sides are Responsible…
Employees and Employers are both responsible for creating a blend. It is up to both parties to speak up, lean in, be open and communicate. Employers must be flexible and open to the idea that one doesn’t have to have one or the other and an employee doesn’t need to be tethered to a desk or specific office hours. Employees need to feel comfortable and willing to share what they need. The more transparent and honest each side is, the more productive everyone will be resulting in delivering the KPI’s that were set at the top of the year.