The concept of work-life balance has been a conversation since I began my career.
Doing a little searching, I found a research report that gave some history on the origins. Back in the late 1800s the work hours of women and children were limited and in 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act established a 44-hour work week.
During the 1980s, the Women’s Liberation Movement brought work-life balance back into the conversation. As women came into the workforce in larger numbers, the balance between personal and professional lives became a topic of discussion as they were expected to both hold down a career and continue the management of the family and home.
My Perspective
Being old enough for my high school jobs to be in the 1980s, I remember the days when women were expected to hold both roles. Over those years, things have changed:
- Men took on more responsibilities in the home.
- Technology enabled us to work anytime of the day or night – at work or at home.
- The pandemic pushed us to consider when and why we needed to be “at the office”.
What remained is the desire to have a fulfilling life.
Striking the right mix of personal and professional.
I’ve been thinking about the evolution of the words being used for this mix.
Early in my career, the conversation was on work-life balance.
Then, the conversation evolved to work-life integration.
Recently, there has been a shift to work-life harmony.
I think looking at the definition of the three words is interesting.
Balance – The action of evenly distributing or dividing into proportions.
Integration – The action of unifying or combining.
Harmony – The action of forming a pleasing and consistent whole.
When I look at the three, there are interesting elements of each.
With a 40-hour, 5-day workweek, balance is a challenge.
8 hours of work, 8 hours of life, and 8 hours of sleep.
Our commute time eats into life or sleep (which was highlighted during the pandemic).
With life sprinkled in our workday and work sprinkled into our personal life, most have figured out some type of work life integration.
The question is in harmony – have we created a “pleasing and consistent whole”?
What I’ve learned is that each of us will find the right mix for our life. We have our own goals and aspirations.
The mix that is “perfect” for one individual might not be right for another.
Asking the harmony question will be a guide to help you understand if you have found the right mix.
Your Turn
How do you look at the mix of your personal and professional life?
Do you feel the two are in harmony?
If not, can you pinpoint what feels off and start to brainstorm how you could shift?