Let’s talk about work-life balance...

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The ‘chasing’ mindset that anchors work-life balance to happiness is toxic for growth.

Here’s why...

‘By 2022, 1.87 billion people will be mobile employees with flexible working hours, making up 42.5% of the total global workforce.’

- Strategy Analytics, Trainual

Wouldn’t that be nice!?

Sadly for Allied Health Practitioners and other service-driven Professionals, we make up the majority of the remaining population who work after hours and on weekends.

Striving for work-life balance can feel like chasing unicorns, yet it is becoming more and more expected.

‘If you are a good boss, you should encourage it.’

’If you are an amazing company, you should offer it.’

‘If you are a considerate employer, you should support it.’

Time is the new rich, and everyone wants it.

When it comes to work-life balance, we have it all wrong... The notion that ‘work-life balance’ is expected now rather than earned is my new pet peeve— and more so, the concept that ‘happiness’ can only be found when this ‘balance’ is achieved. Even worse, that anything less than ‘balance’ is considered unhealthy and a stepping stone towards burnout.

My life is far from ‘balanced’, but I am still very happy. So are many others. Happiness does not come from finding balance; it is about living with purpose and passion, regardless of how many hours in a week we commit.

Finding balance is not the issue; our mindset is.

When someone associates happiness with ‘work-life balance’, they are shifting the responsibility of their mental state over to an employer or company.

At what point do they stop to consider...

‘I chose this profession...’

‘I chose to be a practitioner in the health industry. Therefore, until I am established, it is reasonable to assume I may need to work after hours and weekends to service patients.’

When did work-life balance become an idealistic reflection of a successful career? — ‘If my work and life are in harmonious balance, then I have achieved success and happiness will come.’

Pffftttt...

More money for doing less [like anything] needs to be earned and still requires hard work. The work-life balance mindset [I believe] is toxic to society. It stunts productivity, sets unrealistic boundaries, and the timeframes for which we should achieve them.

The ambiguity that comes from ‘work-life balance’ makes it impossible to define. An inability to distinguish something means that people make up their own ideals, rules and interpretations. Yes, it is different for everyone, but when we keep moving the goalposts, happiness becomes unattainable, and the balance becomes a myth — a destination we never get to.

The ability to choose our hours, work when we want, and plan our days around family or social commitments was once something people worked hard for. The end justified the means... “Hustle and grind?! Put in the long hours early and the benefits speak for themselves,” my Grandfather would say. “Good old fashioned priorities and sacrifice...”

After all my years in business, it is NOT work-life balance I am seeking; it is the ability to CHOOSE.

With patient demand comes choice. When people need you, only then can you pick and choose the hours you want to work. A reputation does not come from one year out in practice, nor does the right to demand weekends off.

Making MORE money in LESS time allows us to do MORE meaningful things we want to do, and LESS things we don’t. You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to know that this sliding scale does not equal balance.

Let’s change the mindset... Find happiness in what we are doing now, not where we want to be. Strive for better work-life CHOICE, rather than chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow we currently call ‘work-life balance’.

Bringing you my best...

Much love,

Jade xx

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Happiness and productivity: Understanding the happy-productive worker. Global Perspectives Series: Paper 4 - DANIEL SGROI October 2015

Bonus reading...

The Happiness Advantage - Shawn Achor

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