When an individual maintains a balance between their personal and professional life, the phenomenon is called Work-Life Balance. This expression is worth a lot because it is very important to have a balance between personal and professional life. Work-life balance is at the forefront of the world of work. Kaizen, the Japanese philosophy for continuous improvement, coupled with the role of information technology (IT) helps and guides management people to achieve maximum performance with the help of available resources.
The balance between personal and professional life varies from person to person and from the organization in which they work. When an individual does not maintain a balance and works too much in the organizational environment, this can cause him some medical, psychological and behavioral consequences, as a result his productivity will also be low. Studies have shown that the stress of work life is detrimental to employees. Sitting up late and working too hard can cause an imbalance in an individual’s personal and professional life; however, there are some techniques to manage the stress of working life, for example, time management, task management, relaxation, flexible work schedules, work from home and exercise, etc. Reconciling work life improves people’s health, job satisfaction, commitment, involvement and reduces absenteeism and presenteeism (state of physical presence but not productive). Despite progress in improving work-life balance maintenance, much remains to be done.
An important factor is the degree to which work-life balance is generally applicable throughout the organization’s hierarchy. Those lower down the organizational hierarchy are sometimes not entitled to some benefits or are not informed about relevant company policies. Work-life balance can help employers and employees be healthy and productive in their personal and professional lives.
“Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management. Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices.” -Betsy Jacobson.
For some people, spending more time in the organization is more important than time spent at home. However, there are people who give priority to personal and family life. In this technological age, some organizations also offer flexible work schedules. One can carry a laptop, PDA, black berry and is connected with suppliers, vendors through the Internet 24 hours a day. The moment he receives any query, he answers it. There are some alcoholics from work who take their laptops and PDAs on vacation and face the annoyance of their wives while they check emails.
People are more interested in looking for a job that gives them flexibility at work. All workers require the necessary arrangements for work-life balance at different times in their lives because balance is critical in quality initiatives by preparing an individual to face change. An individual can do his best alone in a conducive environment, for example, students want to study and work at the same time; parents want time with their children and the older worker nearing retirement to have the opportunity to stay in the workforce on reduced hours. Most employers and employees agree that organizational goals are more important, so it is the employer’s obligation to help people balance work and personal life.