Work Life Balance Myth or Possibility 

 

Employee: Work life balance improves quality of life and overall well-being. 

 

Employer: Organizations benefit from employees with work life balance through improved job performance, increased organizational citizenship behaviours, increased organizational commitment and decreased absenteeism. 

 

Work Life Balance (WLB) is being satisfied with the time, energy and quality of contributions one makes across the many roles they hold in their lives (e.g. employee, parent, caregiver, athlete). Balance does not necessarily mean equal time is spent on each role, but that the time, energy and quality of contributions reflect how much that role is valued and prioritized in your life. Values and priorities are likely to change throughout an individual’s lifetime and may even change day to day. One way that employers are trying to help their employees achieve WLB is by offering flexible work arrangements. Flexible work arrangements refer to flexibility in schedule, number of hours worked, location where work is completed, leave and rest. This flexibility has been shown to help employees maximize their performance in their multiple roles by giving them control over when and where work is completed. This control reduces conflicts between work and non-work roles and contributes to effective recovery further enhancing performance capacity. Unfortunately, one cannot achieve WLB it is something that requires constant maintenance just like any other element of a healthy lifestyle.