Work-life balance is defined as a type of balance between the demands of one’s career and the demands of their personal life (Sanfilippo, M. 2020). It is earning attention because of the changes caused by COVID-19. It first appeared in the 1980s in the UK. However, in this modern society, the way of working gets more diverse as technology develops. Even under the COVID-19 situation, workers wish to have a more flexible work style. This report discusses the concept of “work-life balance” and how it affects people.
Importance and problems of work-life balance?
Maintaining a work-life balance has a certain number of positive effects on one’s physical and mental health and career and personal life; lessening chronic stress that employees get is one of the expected primary effects. Additionally, these given things are some of the cardinal benefits of work-life balance.
- Prevent burnout syndrome
Burnout syndrome is a kind of emotionally induced mental illness that usually develops in the workplace. It occurs when the tempo of a worker’s life is combined with a sense of uneasiness on the job. It causes employees to have some mental distance from the workplace, feel depressed, and be sarcastic about their jobs (Melt Group, 2020).
- Prevent illness caused by stresses
Stress contributes to various kinds of diseases, such as heart attacks, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. In particular, heart attacks account for 16 percent of the world’s total death count (World Health Organization, 2020). All these diseases could be prevented by keeping an adequate work-life balance.
- Better productivity
Workers today are more frustrated than before. In recent research, the impact of work-life balance on productivity has been proven. Employees working at a company trying to implement new attempts, like flexible work hours, react by working hard, and they will work even harder if the number of implementations is greater. Moreover, they will relieve stress caused in the workplace, so it is also important for better productivity (Rojo, P. 2016).
Reasons why some people are skeptical about achieving work-life balance.
Work-life balance is accepted by so many people centered around employees. However, some people are skeptical, and they think of work-life balance as a fallacy and nearly unattainable. This is because work-life balance does not consider disorders that naturally take place, and people cannot predict what is going to happen next. Sometimes, a company has a unique culture, so it may be difficult for that company to implement something new (1&1 IONOS Inc, 2018).
Conclusion
People’s attention has been drawn to work-life balance a lot more during the COVID-19 situation. It, of course, has benefits for employees and employers. Most people, especially workers, only see the benefits and believe that it is a great thing for all, and they cannot help but wonder why many employers do not implement them. However, because it has no limit, some people remain skeptical of it.
Reference
Melt Group. (2020). What Is Burnout Syndrome? – Melt Group. [online] Available at: https://meltgroup.com/what-is-burnout-syndrome/#:~:text=Burnout%20syndrome%20is%20a%20mental [Accessed 28 July 2022].
Rojo, P. (2016). Work-life balance policies: a profitable move for businesses. [online] IE Insights. Available at: https://www.ie.edu/insights/articles/work-life-balance-policies-profitable-move-for-businesses/ [Accessed 24 July 2022].
Sanfilippo, M. (2020). How to Improve Your Work-Life Balance. [online] Business News Daily. Available at: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5244-improve-work-life-balance-today.html [Accessed 24 July 2022].
World Health Organization (2020). The Top 10 Causes of Death. [online] World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death [Accessed 24 July 2022].
1&1 IONOS Inc (2018). Work-life balance. [online] IONOS Startupguide. Available at: https://www.ionos.com/startupguide/productivity/work-life-balance/ [Accessed 25 July 2022].
