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The Paradox of Work-life balance
CA Srikala Prabhu

Work-life balance is the amount of time you spend doing your job versus the time you spend with your friends and
family and pursuing your interests. Work plays a significant part in all our lives. However, due to the pandemic,
we’re growing increasingly more connected through technology and social media. For many, working from home
has become the new normal. It’s becoming more and more difficult to separate work from our personal lives.
It’s commonplace to check emails at all hours, take business calls at the dinner table and work on our laptops on
weekends.
So what is an acceptable work-life balance? A healthy balance would typically mean meeting one’s deadlines at
work while still having time for friends, family and hobbies, having enough time to sleep properly and eat well. It
also means not worrying about work while one is at home.
A study by Aviva revealed that, since the pandemic, people have become more focused on work-life balance than
salary. The study says, “More workers said they were attracted to their current role for the work-life balance (41%)
than the salary (36%). This is a switch in rankings compared to 2019, before the pandemic.”
In a world that is full of fast-paced changes, the need of the hour is for companies to promote policies that enable
professionals to manage their time and energy efficiently. The importance of work-life balance lies in the benefits
it brings to people’s well-being by reducing stress and improving their quality of life. Likewise, this balance has a
positive impact on companies, since the satisfaction of their professionals leads to an increase in talent retention
and an increase in team productivity.

The below are some recommendations that corporates around the world should consider in order to maintain the
well-being and satisfaction of their employees:

1. Offer flexible work schedules and hybrid working: Workers who are empowered to manage where, when and
how they work, tend to demonstrate more positivity.
2. Focus on productivity rather than long hours of work: When employees feel they don’t have to do a full eight-
hour day every day if they’ve finished their tasks, but will put in extra time when the job requires it – that’s a
healthy work environment. It’s a work culture focused on achievement, not clock-watching.
3. Insist on breaks: Encouraging breaks away from the desk, short walks, or moving to other areas of the office
for a change of scene is an important aspect.
4. Support parents: This can be achieved by helping with childcare costs, providing a company crèche or offering
part-time roles.
5. Create boundaries between personal and workplace technology: When you’re working from home, keep your
phone out of your office/workspace to prevent the blurring of home life into work hours. Likewise, create
boundaries with your personal phone and work.

Michelle Obama once said, “We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘TO DO LIST’”.
In conclusion, achieving a healthy work-life balance is not just a luxury but a necessity for both individuals and
organizations. It does not matter what you do, or how you do, but how well you do it. Leading an all-rounded life is
what truly matters at the end of the day.
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