WORK LIFE BALANCE

With global economy becoming more and more intricate it is absolutely indispensable for professionals to maintain a proper balance between life and work. You should always keep in mind that you work to live and certainly do not live to work. Therefore, it is absolutely important to maintain a proper balance between professional and personal life in order to stay happy. These two things are completely different and so if one coincides with the other you may have to face some tough situations. Balancing between life and work is particularly important for those who have a family and have some obligations towards their near and dear ones.

 The most important thing that you should take care of is the time management factor. If you are able to manage your time from the very first day between your work and family you would be able to make it a habit and would not have to face any problem. It is true that sometimes you may have to stay back at the office till late in the evening but it should be only under exceptional situations. Finishing the assigned task in time helps you spend more time with your family thus enjoying your life in a hassle free manner.

Sharing information with the team can help you complete your task well within time. This increased interaction would actually help you know a lot more about quicker methods of working so that you can finish your work quickly. Moreover, sharing a work can help you complete the work much before time thus, leaving ample time for you to spend with your family. Another important thing that you should keep in mind is avoiding taking your official task to home. This is a practice that would spoil both your professional as well as personal life within a very short time.

Work–life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between "work" (career and ambition) on the one hand and "life" (health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development) on the other. It is also related to "lifestyle balance" and "life balance".Sadly, there is no perfect ‘one-size fits all’, balance you are looking for. It is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives. Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of your various work and personal activities seems unrealistic and robotic. Life is and should be more fluid than that.

 

The paradox is that right balance for you today will probably be different tomorrow say when you are single or when you get married, or when you start a new career or are nearing your retirement. Work-life balance is a two-pronged approach. The other prong of work-life balance, which many individuals overlook, relates to what individuals do for themselves.

             

On the other hand corporate world today has become exceedingly demanding. The changing economic conditions and social demands have changed the nature of work throughout the world. Within the ramped up competition of a 24/7 business cycle, ‘work-life’ balance is becoming unbalanced. The imbalance also has a negative impact in the personal life of working people- increasing number of divorces, infertility due high stress levels, advent of nuclear families etc.

 While we strike for a work life balance, we are not merely balancing our profession and family, we are also balancing our mental and status quo and thereby balancing our emotional intelligence, which is the worldly ability to manage you and to handle others. This benefits the company in the long-run.

 Similarly, women work force now constitutes a significant percentage of the total work force in any organization today. Women executives have to deal with- running a home, doing daily chores like cooking/cleaning, raising family and handle the tight deadlines at home and work. The society over the years has recognized women's need to legal and financial independence. But the transition to motherhood still continues to have practical and emotional consequences. It also affects their professional stature when they return to work.

 

Hence, the concept of ‘Work life balance’ is becoming more and more relevant in a never-dynamic working environment. The role played by the individual is as important as that of the organization in managing this tumultuous see saw. One of the best approaches to this is by the use of one's emotional intelligence. 

Be sure to remember that striking a work-life balance is a continuous process, rather than a one-shot deal. Work and home life should be balanced. If there is a tilt in the balance there are chances of soaring stress levels.