Question

What is work/life balance? Why is it important?

Answer 1

Work-life balance refers to the idea that people need to spend equal or at least balanced amount of time to their work related activities and the other aspects of life. Apart from work, an individual would like to spend time with his family, indulge in social gatherings or would simply like to pursue a hobby in the leisure time that he has. This phenomena of dedicating balanced time and efforts to both work life and personal life is called work-life balance.

From time to time, surveys have been conducted in countries like US and UK to gather information on the work-life balance of the working population in these countries. Majority of these surveys have revealed that people have rated their jobs as stressful or very stressful. People have also complained about the long working hours, the increasing commuting time and huge public rush that they have to face everyday in public transports leaving them with no time for themselves or for their families. Over a period of time, the increased stress becomes a source of mental health issues and depression in the employees working in various small, medium and large organizations. Also, due to an ever increasing competitive business landscape, employees are asked to over work and over deliver to their clients, not only to meet their expectations but to create customer delight as well. People in sales jobs live in constant fear of not being able to achieve their sales targets and as a result, losing their job.

Therefore, creating a positive and healthy work environment is very important for keeping the employees productive and satisfied and the employers play a vital role in achieving employee happiness. Giving them more time for themselves that they can utilize to spend with their families or friends or in pursuing a leisure activity of their choice would keep the employees more productive and less stressed, thereby, benefiting the organization in the long run. An organization that is successful in introducing work-life balance to their employees witness lower employee turnover rates. In addition, employees become more loyal and committed towards their employer resulting in lower absenteeism from work and lower lateness in reaching the office.