It’s now an expectation not an aspiration, so what can employers do to get the advantage?
Work–life balance: a notion that has moved from the category of aspiration to expectation. Where employees once spent their working lives searching for the elusive balance between professional and personal, they now view it as a baseline standard. This means employers can no longer rely on work–life balance as a competitive advantage but instead must view it as the norm.
I confess I believed this to be progress, and it is. But I’ve been rethinking my perception after reading this quote by organisational psychologist Dr Adam Grant:
“Work–life balance sets the bar too low. No one grows up dreaming of a job that doesn’t interfere with their life. We hope to spend our waking hours doing work that enriches our lives. A toxic job drains you. A decent job sustains you. A healthy job invigorates you.”
As someone who’s learning the art of balance but also has great passion for work, this inspired me. Actually, at first I was offended at the thought that even in those rare moments where I feel I’ve ticked the balance box, that’s not even enough! Moving past that, I strongly believe when we enjoy what we do, are challenged in healthy ways, and are happy in our organisations, it’s invigorating. When we’re invigorated, the work–life balance struggle turns more into a work–life rhythm where the various aspects of our lives are complimentary rather than competitive.
Work should be more than just a check-in, check-out 9-5 transactional experience. Thankfully, over the past couple of years, organisations have gained a new appreciation for flexibility. To move past the transactional experience into one that invigorates, we need to find (or create!) meaning in roles. Why is meaning so important? As this article points out, employees who find meaning in their roles tend to be more loyal, have higher job satisfaction, and be more engaged.
The good news? Meaning is there to be found if we look for it and there to be crafted if we’re intentional about it as employers. This interview with David and Wendy Ulrich has some good thoughts on the subject. A couple of the standouts are:
- Connecting what people are doing in their daily tasks to the bigger picture. For example, sharing stories of how their organisation is impacting the lives of real people.
- Examining your personal values and looking for ways to actively weave these into your everyday work.
- Being authentic and helping others do the same.
We spend so much of our lives at work, it’s only natural we’d want this time to mean something. When we feel it does, we’re spurred on to do it again. Not in a way that drains us, but in the way that we walk a little taller and smile a little brighter.
Photograph: Aziz Acharki on Unsplash.