What Is Work Life Balance?
Work life balance is when people are efficient in both their professional and personal life. They have time to spend time with family, along with working a full time job. It is the key to a happy family.
How Does Work Life Balance Affect Family?
Having a job is extremely important, especially if you wish to manage your expenses. However, many people get submerged in their work and are not able to give time to their family.
There is no use of having a lot of money, but no time to spend it. You may be able to provide your family with sustainability, but showing love is equally important.
While most people look down on a 9-5 job, it is what will help you sustain. Moreover, if you have children, it makes it all the more important.
Children’s behaviour is vastly affected by how they are raised. If they have parents that are not emotionally, and physically available for them they are most likely to get into bad influence.
Whereas, parents that have good work-life balance can easily give the care and attention children need.
You may have seen that the poor can manage to stay happy, yet the rich sometimes can’t. This is because the poor or the middle have an emotional connection, and support.
Maintaining balance allows you to be more involved with your family, spend quality time, and manage your professional life.
There are certain needs and wants of people, and both are equally important. You may question how are needs and wants related to work balance, let’s take a look:
Importance Of Needs And Wants
Firstly, we need to understand the difference between needs and wants.
Needs are the most essential things such as food, shelter, education, clothes etc.
However, wants are based on desires, they vary from person to person.
If you have a well paying job, it is easy to fulfil needs, and materialistic wants. However, there are several emotional wants that are required in a family. Such as:
- Love And Affection
- Connection
- Emotional Security
- Empathy
- A good family bond
- Time
One may think that they can buy happiness. While that may be partially true, money can’t buy emotional stability. Emotional stability comes from human touch, connection and love.
Maintaining A Work Life Balance
Maintaining balance is essential in order to have time with your family. It helps provide stability, emotional security, and trust to your family members.
Your job can replace you, but your family could never. A family is someone that will be with you even if you have nothing.
There are several benefits of maintaining a healthy work life balance (in a professional as well as personal environment) such as:
Quality Time
If you have fixed and reasonable working hours, it is easier to manage to spend quality time with family. It allows you to dedicate fixed time for your family.
No Burnouts
When people overwork, they tend to burnout which also affects their productivity and mental health.
Guidance
Children that grow up without their parents guidance usually tend to go down the wrong path. However, when a parent is present for their child, they can help lead them to the right path, and guide them in their decisions.
Improved Productivity
When you have time for yourself, and you are well rested, you are going to be more productive. It is essential you have enough rest.
Better Time Management
Time management is essential for success. It helps you prioritise your tasks and reduce stress.
Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction increases loyalty to the company. Besides that it helps to provide your kids with a role model for time management. Your kids are going to be thankful that you were able to provide for them while giving them the attention they deserve.
When you have a healthy work life balance, you are going to be less stressed and can easily focus more on yourself and your family.
Strong Family Bond
When you have enough time for your family, you provide them with love and support and receive them the same. Family support is extremely important.
Read more: Importance Of Spending Time With Family.
Factors Affecting Work Life Balance
There are various factors affecting work life balance and some of the reasons are:
Travel Time
It is time consuming to travel, not many people live close to their offices. Public transports such as the metro require station change, and also have delays. Moreover, travelling a long distance can be exhausting.
However, this can be resolved if companies provide transportation to employees. While not all companies provide travel means, some do provide travel allowance.
Work Hours
Many companies have inflexible working hours which makes it difficult for employees to get any leisure time. While the average working hours is 8-9, there are people who work up to 12.
Moreover, there are also people who have night shifts, this keeps them away from family more often, and also harms their body clocks.
Work Demands
Often companies may need you to come in and work at odd hours or even call you during weekends. Hence , it is important to set a boundary if you wish to maintain work life balance.
While being called during an emergency is okay. However, if it happens often you must set a boundary.
Toxic Work Culture
Toxic work culture is mostly present in MNCs. In such companies people have to work crazy hours, and the employees aren’t appreciated, which makes them overworked and stressed.
Personal Choices
Some people are extremely workaholics, they love to work for long hours. While there is nothing wrong with working passionately, you must set time for your family as well.
Lack Of Priorities
Often people don’t prioritise their family. They prefer going to work or hanging out with their colleagues. Meeting friends is alright, but if you don’t prioritise your family, they will not be able to depend on you.
Read More: Family Bonding Activities: Fun and Meaningful Ways to Connect & 11 signs you lack work-life balance
Conclusion
Work is important in order to sustain your family. However, it will be meaningless if you don’t have your family’s love. It is important to show that you love and care for them. Nevertheless, it is also important to work hard in your professional environment.
