“WORK-LIFE BALANCE, TIME TO LET GO?”
Work-life balance. What does that even mean? Coming from a work culture that encourages flexibility and creativity, you’d think I would have this concept down. The problem is, while a large portion of work-life balance is the responsibility of your employers, the other portion is controlled by you.
To be clear, I’m not saying that the part within your control is easy to master – with industries more competitive than ever, and the expectation of employees skyrocketing, finishing on time, taking your lunch break and remembering to get some fresh air has, understandably, fallen to the bottom of the list.
In fact, this is such an important subject that this year Virgin Management has spent a lot of time looking into how to improve the work-life balance of our people. We also hosted a Virgin Disruptors debate titled ‘Employee wellbeing: at what cost?’ and in the build up to the event, there was a series of blogs that discussed this topic in different lights.
Working hard, achieving your goals and reaching your potential is an amazing thing and certainly not something I’m suggesting you give up. But perhaps allowing yourself a little more ‘me’ time, could pave the way for even bigger achievements and all-round success – after all, it’s no secret that we all function better after a good night’s sleep.
In fact, with more and more workplaces adopting ultra flexible working practices which give employees the freedom to work wherever and whenever they like, it’s more important than ever to make sure that you’re also getting a proper rest – and that you take some time out to spend with friends and family. Taking a break to recharge your batteries is not only good for your mental and physical health, but it’s a well-established fact that it can also make you more productive.
So yes, workplaces have a lot to answer for in this struggle for balance, but where there’s opportunity for you to take some control, I encourage you to grab it with both hands. Hug your children for that bit longer, extend those goodnight kisses, and dance until you can dance no more. As one woman concluded, “This is simply about you as a human being; there’s the most important word: being.”
