Work-Life Balance. It's A Myth!
Yes. I said it.
Work-life balance, is a MYTH!
Deep down, we all think and know it. The world work-life balance was created for no longer exists. Gone are the days where people clock in and out of work and in are the days where modern work bleeds into personal time. Sadly, technology has erased boundaries. Emails after hours, teams alerts on weekends, remote/hybrid work removing physical separation. These factors all make the work side of the balance much heavier.
Then you have the piece where companies use this as a form of branding and use it strategically. They may advertise "we support work-life balance", "flexible hours" or the classic "we care about our employees", but often don't change workload or the culture. You get this across all levels, whether it be a start-up, mid-tier or corporate company, it's always the same thing. Major red flag is when they describe the work environment as a family vibe, when you hear that one, it's time to run - FAST.
You're told to balance but rewarded for prioritising work. It's just a front, and we all know it. People who do try to maintain a balance, are often seen as 'less committed'. It's not spoken about but it's noticed and I've worked in companies where the one's setting boundaries eventually end up out the door.
I personally think this was a term made to make you feel like there is hope, when deep down there isn't. It's a money making machine. Make them believe this exists and the downward spiral of mental health makes them more money either way. I mean, look at the number of 'self-help' books you come across on the shelves these days and the digital content we're bombarded with on a daily basis. It's false hope, driving consumption for the rich to get richer.
So there you have it, we're living in a system which wants us to believe that 'work-life balance' could exist, if we make changes, not the companies we work for. Surely this needs to be swapped around!?!
Anyway, moving onto the flip side. This doesn't mean a good life isn't possible. We just need a new model. The goal isn't balance, it's having a better flow. Flexibility and a life that feels in tune, not divided. It's time to ask ourselves some very important questions like...
- Do I really need to work this hard?
- Could I work less hours OR days per week?
- Do I really enjoy this job?
- Could I do something less demanding?
- Could I earn less and make do for a short period of time to focus on my family?
These are very important questions to ask ourselves. It's worth having a think about. I didn't want to reach my late 50's in regret of 'what if?'.
Here's another thing to think about. I recently came across a very interesting video by Steven Bartlett on his Diary of a CEO channel on YouTube. It's called 'Child Attachment Expert: We're Stressing Newborns and It's Causing ADHD. Hidden Dangers of Daycare.' Appreciate the title is slightly off topic here but within this video, they talk about work and how the system has changed over the years. A system which is letting people and their children down, mentally. It's an eye opener.