The Concept of Work-Life Balance

by Eva Rykr

 

When I tell people I have two jobs, they look at me like I’m crazy. Or, with recent economic conditions, they ask me if I’d like to give them one of mine. Actually, I wouldn’t. I love both and I appreciate both.

There are such benefits to having two jobs. What I learn in one carries over to the other, just like what I learn at work carries over to my personal life. In addition, what I learn at work now carries over to my future.

See, one of my big goals in life is to never do what I don’t want to do. And to actually do what I want to do. One hundred percent satisfaction in both life and work. That’s my work-life balance. Ultimate flexibility. And generally, that can’t happen when you are working for someone else. Sometimes your taking a month away from your desk to go explore Asia doesn’t fit in with the organization’s strategic objectives. Unless you work at corporate for Best Buy.

So, since the options for companies offering Results-Only Work Environments (ROWE) are limited, I’ll work now and have balance later. Like other Gen Y kids, I don’t necessarily prioritize life over work, or work over life. It’s more that they’re fully aligned and integrated. I’ll put life in the backseat so I can work 100 hours a week during January to roll out Project X, but I also expect to put work in the backseat during December when I go traveling.

Most Gen Ys have a similar view of work. That is good news. In fact, research shows you don’t need to be a workaholic to have a successful career. In a July 2008 article, the authors found a positive relationship between work-life balance and career advancement potential (based on self, peer and supervisor ratings) among 9,627 managers from 33 countries. The findings were equal for both men and women.

What we know about work-life balance:

1. Segmentation model: Work and non-work are two distinct domains of life that are lived separately and have no influence on each other. (Just disregard this theory; there is no evidence.)
2. Spillover model: One domain of life can influence the other in either a positive or negative way. (Duh!)
3. Compensation model: What is lacking in one area (i.e., demand, satisfaction) is compensated for by the other.
4. Instrumental model: Activities in one area facilitate success in the other.
   1. Enrichment perspective: Involvement in multiple roles expands the limits of attention and energy to mitigate the stress associated with multiple roles.
   2. Expansionist theory: Performance in each role is enhanced by the involvement in other roles.
5. Conflict model: When high levels of demand exist in all areas of life, difficult choices have to be made, and conflict and overload occur.
   1. Scarcity perspective: Those involved in multiple roles have less time and resources to focus on each.
   2. Personality integration: Those high on the “Big 5″ personality trait “Conscientiousness” experience less stress and work-life conflict and more competent performance in each position.

Most of the recent research has focuses on D and E. The findings generally say that as long as you do it right, life enhances work and vice versa. So I wonder, as our workforce moves toward ultimate flexibility (and thanks to Gen Y and the Web in general, it will), will the work-life balance and work-life conflict idea cease to exist?