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The push for work-life is nothing new. Work-life balance is essentially the idea that employees have a life outside of their jobs.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, work and life were clearly separated and there was a “balance” in which life was arranged around work. During the pandemic, when employees were forced to work from home for a prolonged period of time, work and life became integrated and work was arranged around life. Post-pandemic, with the return to office, employees are now resisting going back to the original balance — where life and work are separated and where life was arranged around work.
The importance of work-life balance cannot be underestimated as work-life balance help employees maintain their mental health and happiness. If a job is taking up all of an employee's time and energy, the employee will soon or later end up feeling burned out, resentful and unhappy.
So what can employers do to ensure their employees have work-life balance?
The straight answer is, employers can’t. This is because work-life balance is a psychological construct and while employers can create the policies and the physical environment to allow for more balance, it is ultimately a choice that employees must take personal responsibility for.
