Yeh Dil Maange More

Work-life balance the latest vogue catchphrase is the fine art of balancing work and life without one overpowering the other, much like the two sides of a coin – the key to a good worklife balance depends on mutual terms decided between employer and employee; but what does it mean? With the new normal constantly in flux, we break down what it truly means, bearing in mind perspective from both employer, as well as employee.

This seemingly great conundrum is primarily based on how organization can be empathetic to their employee’s needs. By doing so they begin to see the world through the employee’s lens. On one end, it is important for employees to maintain accountability as a vital conduit when entering a work environment. And at the same time, the employee should share responsibility of being aligned with their immediate mentor to mutually decide deliverables; such as certain tasks that need to be accomplished within a certain pace and time to ensure success. One good way to progress towards a healthy work-life is to first assess and analyze where does our work style currently lie? Is it tilted towards work-work where it’s nothing but work? Or does it lean more towards life-life, where we let our life outside of work dictate our actions while we work? Or finally, is it a healthy work-life, where work is carried out with utmost dedication, owning the task at hand and deadline orientation that ensures that we can successfully make room for other aspects of our life that are just as important!

Everything starts with accepting to treat employees as adults and trusting that they will be accountable for the tasks that are aligned to them. Team Dynamics and work distribution by the team to the team works much better than to look at the traditional control aspect where work instructions are made from top to down.  If one member from the team has a challenge and needs to take a short break, he will be supported by the other members standing in without affecting the deadline and customer commitments from the team…  The days when managers expect their team members to sit till they are in office and judge these as sincere and loyal employees is a myth that needs to be busted, and quite honestly a thing of the past that needs to be restructured.

By introducing the element of flexibility at work as a factor to bring in change; it is observed that the 20 – 80 paradigm reflects that there is always 80% people that comply with set guidelines, while an opposing 20% might misuse the flexibility and trust of employers for their own benefit. Such behavior is usually met by rule and policy makers with the traditional control aspect and a rigid process which diminishes the employee interest by punishing the 80 % majority that do comply, and breeds resistance amongst the employees.

If the team can unitedly bear the mindset that work committed must be completed and team members own the accountability, they must be allowed to work freely within certain boundary conditions that promises a win-win situation for both parties involved. By creating a flexible environment at workplace, it encourages the team members and relieves them of undue stress arising from issues at home that go unattended due to rigid work hours. This flexibility allows freedom and fosters innovation and contributes to a fast-paced progress in the company where everyone grows together in a flourishing environment!