When I visit with organizations, they often talk to me about their “work/life” balance situation in either a positive manner or a negative manner.
I don’t always know how to deal with this because I have a very different vision of the whole thing.
The idea of “work/life” balance is kind of tough to swallow…or, in other words, its a bit of a myth.
Here’s why…
For most people, they spend an hour or more commuting and 8+ hours at work, 5 days a week. Hopefully, they are able to have outside activities, hobbies, family, whatever, that consume some of the rest of the time. Plus you need rest and rejuvenation.
Now here is the part that I am a big fan of….I like to talk to these organizations I work with about shifting the ways that they measure their work days, to focus on outcomes and not the inputs of hours. It is why I am a big fan of telecommuting, if used properly.
Because the fact is that you just have life and trying to balance work and life makes you suffer at both of them.