Is Work-Life Balance Making Us Less Productive and Lazy?

Striking the right ‘work-life’ balance is still the talk of the town among workers of all ages and experience.

Job seekers are no longer afraid to mention that they have a home life and that they won’t be married to the job.

Also there’s the realities of harmful stress on health and relationships, it has been a reality check for many of us over the years and now we value more freedom and flexibility often more than our pay packet.

Businesses have been slow on the uptake; however, that is changing, albeit not through altruism but from its huge cost savings in operations, including less office space and technology required.

Startups can engage staff where they reside, not necessarily where the business is located. Still, some doubt remains as to its real value to the economy.

Are we losing overall productivity?   Are flexi-time, more holidays, and remote work making us lazy?  Why would you not have to go into the office, and is this affecting team relationships and information sharing?

There are so many questions and no right or wrong answer.

Work-life Conflict

Why is it still a thing some 40 years on? To find out, we need to look at some of its drivers, namely technology and women.

Workers first mentioned the work-life conflict in the UK in the late 1970s and a few years later in the US. Here we are today, nearly 40 years later, still flying its flag, women probably more so than men.

Women

Positive female role models and more women in the workforce have kept the movement alive and well, and some might argue it has been the driving influence of better employment terms and pay. Only recently was it reported that Canadian women are investing almost as much as men in the market now, and that’s due to the shrinking wage gap and lower unemployment, among other factors.

Technology

Using systems that allow workers to be monitored while working remotely has given the power back to the business. Not only can they keep tabs on their workers and productivity via software like online chat, but they can also grab the vast savings that less office space and services allow.

Hot desks are now the norm in corporate offices. Companies can also get away with providing less technology. Hardware like desktops is less in demand now as workers can use their own computers.

There are numerous workflow apps, such as Microsoft Teams, Monday.com, and Slack, and timers, like the Pomodoro timer, that can keep you focused on tasks for set periods of time.

BYODs

Workers in many industries are now encouraged to use their hardware and software. This means some may use Apple while others use Microsoft, and there’s also an array of smart devices.

BYODs (bring your own devices) can be secure in the workplace with firewalls and other security systems. They access company systems and software as well as their assets. This technology leap is a big win-win for both the user and the business.

Final thoughts

How we work is forever evolving, and technology means we are more connected now than ever.

Reading emails and texts in the evening, first thing in the morning, and on weekends suggests we are probably working more and are more productive with our time now than previously.

What we do know is that nothing stands still. Change is inevitable, especially in business and with technology. Soon, everything will be using AI, so you can be sure there’s a lot more transformation in the way we work and where we do it just around the corner.