“One
cannot do right in one area of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in
another. Life is one invisible whole” – Mahatma Gandhi
How true and difficult is to paraphrase
the profound truth contained in the words of one of the greatest human beings
of the modern world. The harsh reality of modern life is that Quality of Work
Life (QWL) has taken a beating because most of us are working harder than ever.
On average people in the developed countries spend an astonishing 14 to 15
hours a day against the accepted 8 to 9 hours. What is very disturbing is that
the trend is on the rise. Burn out; stress leading to health hazards is the
natural offshoot. The concept of lifetime employment or job security through
hard work has been on a decline since more and more people are on short-term
contracts and lack security of long-term employment.
Although traditional work structures seem
to be dissolving, this hasn’t necessarily resulted in more flexibility for the
workers. Employers, by and large, are still reluctant to absorb employees on a
permanent basis before they have ‘proved their worth’. The psychological
pressure on the employee is tremendous and their lives are characterised by a
pronounced conflict between professional and private lives. Lesser employees
doing greater work make the work monotonous and gruelling for the employee. The
implication of all this is that it leaves the worker with less and less time
for interests, family and leisure time in general.
It is not uncommon to see people who
aspire to have work and personal life in synchronisation. The work life balance
has become the buzzword for the present generation. Thus in an ideal world,
most people would like their output assessed by the results they achieve at
work and not by the hours they spend slaying away at their desk. Thus, in turn,
would leave them free to pursue their personal interests outside work. Only a
handful of employees have understood this intrinsic desire of employees and
have turned it into a competitive advantage. Occupational Psychology assumes a
key role as it contributes to work models but also with the thorough study of
factors underlying the work/life balance. The study of work and family life is a
relatively recent field. They argue out a case for alternative work models.
Workplace flexibility is increasingly
becoming important both for the employers as well as the employees. A good fit
between people’s personal and work roles can go a long way in resolving
conflicts. In fact researchers claim that by helping to manage employee’s
work/life conflicts the company actually increases “psychological availability
for work” of an employee. This is at least true of some learning organisations
that are open to such novel HR practices. They look at flexible work
arrangements as an opportunity for more efficient recruitment, decrease in
staff turnover and absenteeism. Very importantly it helps them to project an
improved corporate image.
Occupational psychology conducted in UK
points out that managers feel to be working unjustifiably long hours and to be
pushing their staff too hard. Only a relatively small percentage felt
reasonably sure that they have indicated their preference for more flexible
working hours. Nearly half perceived increased difficulties in balancing their
work and personal life and well over half said pressure to perform at work left
them less and less time for their personal life, making them feel that they are
missing out. The analysis of this research data was descriptive and no attempts
were made to analyse any traits underlying the work/life balance. There are two
important issues to be looked at. They are:
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Two distinct factors underlying the
work/life balance. One is related to the general status quo of the workplace
and the other one to attitudes held by the individual.
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That these factors would correlate
with other variables, such as commitment, gender or age.
It
is instinctive human desire to secure oneself in material comforts in the early
phase of life to enjoy good quality of life at a later point in the life span.
The point that many do not realise is that life is not so compartmentalised
that one can do the activities in a sequential order – one after the other.
Life is a bundle that contains all the strands together and hence the need to
balance work life and other related issues. There is nothing wrong in having
career ambitions. We all have a deep human hunger to create something great
through the work we do and shine in our chosen profession.
One
important dimension is the relationship balance. Many of us rationalise by
rationing “quality time” for the family. Fact of the matter is that we tend to
perceive that the time spent with family should be qualitatively superior and
quantity doesn’t matter. One must go the extra mile and ensure that the right
quantity of time is provided for the bonds of trust and love to grow. Children,
in particular, believe that the more time you spend with them reflects how much
you love them. It is said laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
The “Relationship Balance” creates a sense of fulfilment and the synergy spill
over positively in all of the other areas of your life. The warmth and love on
the home front enables a person to focus intensively and concentrate fully on
the professional work and achieve high degree of success. The other important
dimension is career balance. Einstein once said that one should be a person of
value rather than a person of success. There is a natural human urge in most of
us to have deep sense of fulfilment through our work lie. Our personal life
will be very dull and boring if work life isn’t exciting and doesn’t offer
scope to bring out the dormant talent in us. The urge to do some commercial
activity by creative methods to succeed in the market place and obtain monetary
as well social rewards is inherent in all human beings.
The point of wisdom is simply this: Do
not trade-ff the pleasure of living for the sake of achievement. Instead,
joyfully achieve. Balance your commitment to being the best you can be at work
with a deep commitment to being a great family person and loving friend.
Understand that without balance in every core area of your life, you’ll never
find lasting happiness and a sense that you have lived well.
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