Work-life balance
Yu Fu
Email: yu.fu@heig-vd.ch
Learning objectives
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What is work-life balance?
The importance of work-life balance
What work-life balance impacts on
Strategies to improve your balance
Organisational Behaviour 2
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Work-life Balance
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Definition has changed over time:
– 60s-70s – WLB was mainly considered an issue
for working mothers, trying to balance the
demands of their jobs with raising children
– 80s – Structural changes took place. For
example, policies and procedures, along with
benefits were added/changed to support WLB.
Maternity leave, flex-time, etc. Also in the 80s,
men began concerns around their own worklife balance.
Organisational Behaviour 2
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Work-life Balance
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Definition has changed over time:
– 90s – Really solidified WLB as an issue that was
vital for everyone (men, women, singles, couples,
parents, non-parents, etc.) Also generational
studies began to show how employees were
making choices about their jobs based on cultures
of companies and their own work-life issues.
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Work-life Balance – What is it now?
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Consider two concepts:
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Achievement
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Enjoyment
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Work-life Balance – What is it?
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Meaningful daily Achievement and Enjoyment in
all aspects of the person’s life: Work, Family,
Friends, and Self
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A vital factor in achieving a balance is making
sure that the work portion does not overwhelm or
dominate; and also, that it does not cause damage
to the individual by way of negative stress .
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Activity
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List 5 things you’ve done to care for
yourself in order to achieve your work-life
balance
Share with a partner
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Work-life Balance – What it is not
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Work-life balance does not mean that there must
be equal balance across all aspects of an
individual’s life.
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The optimum work-life balance will not remain
static but will vary over time.
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The best work-life balance will be different for
each person. There is no one size fits all in worklife balance.
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Work-Life Balance
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About living authentically
Doing work that feels intrinsically rewarding
What matters is that the person undertakes
his/her work with integrity
Balance also requires us to pay attention to
our connections to family, to friends, to
ourselves
Organisational Behaviour 2
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Work-Life Balance
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About staying connected – to my self, to
my values, to the relationships I create
along the way – and to work and actions
that are meaningful
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Healthy and satisfying lives both
personally and professionally
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Work-Life Balance in the workplace
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Employers who allow flexibility and provide work
life benefits will attract and retain the best
employees
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Employees whose personal lives are under control
are more effective in the workplace
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However, many companies, though they’ve
adopted policies to support WLB, many were not
implementing them, or implementing them well
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How did the LIFE/work BALANCE
get to this point ?
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Globalisation
Technology
24/7 economy
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Have blurred the traditional line between work and
family. Technology once allowed work flexibility
but now takes over our personal lives.
Organisational Behaviour 2
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The Mathematician's View
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A balanced life is one where we spread our energy and effort
- emotional, intellectual, imaginative, spiritual and physical –
between key areas of importance.
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The Analyst View
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A wheel has spokes to ensure its strength and balance.
Unequal spokes can make the ride very bumpy, or
completely break down
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Work Life Triangle
Work
Relationship
Self-care
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Work Life Triangle
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Work ( what we do, careers, housework, chores,
etc.)
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Relationships (personal, friendships, partners,
spouses, children)
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Self-Care (spiritual, physical, intellectual,
emotional, health, wellness, exercise)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdpIKXLLYYM
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Barriers to Balance
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Time
Feeling guilty
Climbing the corporate ladder
Failure to set limits
Can’t say NO
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Symptoms of Being Out of Balance
Physical:
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Headaches, upset stomach, sleep disturbances, changes in
appetite, muscle tension, fatigue, heart palpitations
Emotional:
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Depression, anxiety, irritability, difficulty making decisions,
angry outbursts, resentment, feelings of powerlessness
Personal:
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Lost time with friends and loved ones, job burnout, isolation
Stopping social activities, relationship loss/difficulties, self
medicating
Organisational Behaviour 2
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Work-Life Balance
Learn how to say
YES
as well as
NO
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It’s easier to say no to unwanted tasks if you’ve
already committed to something you do want to
do.
Organisational Behaviour 2
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Work-Life Balance
Bring some of your
HOME TO WORK
well as some of your
WORK TO HOME
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You live in both worlds; look for ways to bring
them together
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Work-Life Balance
Determine your
TASKS
as well as your
PRIORITIES
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Many activities, small and large, are the steps that
lead to your goal.
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Determining Your Priorities
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What are the essential components to a
quality life?
What are you truly passionate about in life?
What do you value most?
Rank order these areas of your life
according to the amount of time and
energy you spend on each.
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Managing Your Priorities
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Time and energy must be spent on
priorities.
Utilise a system that will serve to remind
you of your priorities.
Plan time to refuel the tank.
Organisational Behaviour 2
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