Let’s Establish Work-Life Balance to Improve Wellbeing
With the development of digital innovations, we have begun to experience rapid changes in all areas of our lives. Changes such as flexible working hours or remote working have become commonplace. As a result, our work experiences have also begun to change. With these changes, maintaining work-life balance has become one of the most important issues for our wellbeing in both our professional and personal lives.
Work-life balance is crucial for achieving organisational wellbeing and frequently arises in our professional lives. In today’s ever-changing world, we must strive to achieve balance in all areas of our lives. This necessity is
It is important not only for our happiness, but also for our health and wellbeing. When the balance between our personal and professional lives is disrupted, Our wellbeing is also affected.
In today’s fast-paced and demanding work environment, maintaining work-life balance is important for our performance and productivity in all areas of life. Along with our priorities in life, our personal expectations and desires are other factors that influence our work-life balance.
How is Work-Life Balance Defined?
Before we look at the concept of work-life balance, let’s consider what a balanced life should be like.
Kirchmeyer (1993) defined this as ‘the equal distribution of energy, time and commitment across all areas of life, enabling satisfying experiences in each area’. Kofodimos, on the other hand, defines a balanced life as ‘a satisfying, healthy and productive life that includes love, play and work’. Marks and MacDermid (1996), meanwhile, define it as ‘a life in which one can enjoy the moment, where no role is superior to any other’.
Our work-life balance is actually a situation that guides us on how to maintain balance in our lives.
At the same time, it provides us with a perspective on how we should balance the time we devote to work with the time we devote to other activities in our lives.
So, what do we mean when we talk about work-life balance, a popular concept today?
According to one accepted definition, work-life balance is ‘the individual perception that work and non-work activities are compatible and promote growth in accordance with one’s current life priorities’.
Studies also show that maintaining work-life balance leads to greater satisfaction in both work and family life.
Furthermore, it has a positive impact on people’s performance and organizational commitment in their work lives.
When we lose our work-life balance, we may find that we have more negative experiences at work. We may struggle to fulfil the responsibilities required by our various roles and experience relationship conflicts. Our overall life satisfaction, sense of fulfilment and wellbeing may also be affected by these situations.
Work-life balance is generally influenced by personal or organisational factors.
Our age, gender, education, marital status, family roles, socio-cultural structure, and career life are personal factors that affect work-life balance.
Disruptions to work-life balance can be caused by organisational factors such as work responsibilities, workplace roles, role conflicts, job security issues, management style, excessive workload, workplace conditions and career barriers.
To maintain a stable work-life balance, it is important to determine our life priorities. It is also important to be aware of our desires and expectations. Once we have this awareness, we must take responsibility for preventing disruption to our balance.
Why is it important to maintain a work-life balance?
Our ability to fulfill our expectations in all the roles we assume in our work and personal lives positively affects our work-life balance. Being aware of our priorities, setting boundaries in our life areas, and aligning our personal expectations with the responsibilities we assume are factors that support the maintenance of our work-life balance.
Scientific studies reveal that work-life balance has an impact on family relationships and responsibilities, as well as on job satisfaction and health. A study conducted by Gragnano and colleagues (2020) examined the importance of the relationship between family and health factors and work-life balance. The results of the study reported that health factors were more important than family factors in work-life balance.
If we want to maintain our health and well-being and lead a more fulfilling and happy life, it is important not to lose our work-life balance. The most important reasons for maintaining balance in our work and personal lives can be listed as follows:
- It supports our happiness and motivation in our working life.
- It increases our job satisfaction and contentment.
- It supports our emotional resilience and mental calmness.
- It increases our creativity, performance, and productivity.
- It improves our quality of life.
- Strengthens our bonds in relationships.
- Prevents role conflicts in family and work life.
- Reduces burnout.
- Prevents workforce loss and turnover.
- Supports personal and professional success.
- Creates a positive work culture.
- Enhances our ability to cope with stress.
- Makes it easier to make the right decisions.
- Strengthens work and team relationships.
- Makes it easier to find time for personal development and hobbies.
- Enables us to devote time to social responsibility projects or volunteer work.
How Do We Know When Our Work-Life Balance Is Out of Order?
When we lose balance between our personal and professional lives, we may feel the negative effects of this imbalance in all areas of our lives. Work-life imbalance can affect our health, quality of life, and performance.
We can recognize work-life imbalance through its reflections in our lives, which will also affect our wellbeing.
Some signs that may indicate that our work-life balance is out of balance are as follows:
- Our sleep pattern may be disrupted.
- We may experience stress and anxiety.
- We may experience physical and mental exhaustion.
- We may feel constantly tired.
- We may experience conflicts in our family relationships.
- Physical health issues such as pain in different parts of the body may occur.
- Difficulty concentrating and decreased performance at work and in personal life may occur.
- Loss of interest and decreased motivation in both work and personal life may occur.
- Working hours may increase in our professional life.
- Time allocated to personal interests may decrease.
- Relationships may deteriorate overall.
- The boundaries between work and personal life may become blurred.
- Life satisfaction and job satisfaction may decrease.
It is important to pay attention to such signs that indicate a loss of balance in our daily lives. Seeking professional help when necessary can make it easier to overcome problems.
What steps can we take to maintain work-life balance?
We can support our wellbeing by taking the following steps to maintain work-life balance:
- When planning our work and personal lives, let’s use time efficiently and prioritize our tasks according to importance.
- Let’s clarify our goals in both our work and personal lives.
- Avoid bringing work-related issues into our personal lives.
- Avoid checking work-related phone calls or emails outside of work hours.
- Consider taking advantage of opportunities such as flexible work hours or remote work when necessary.
- Avoid working overtime or taking on extra work unless absolutely necessary.
- Delegate tasks when necessary to lighten our workload.
- Set boundaries for our work hours and allocate non-work hours as personal time.
- Prioritize our physical and mental health by maintaining a regular sleep schedule.
- Effectively manage stress through regular exercise, breathing techniques, or meditation.
- Let’s spend more time on our hobbies and interests outside of work.
- Let’s strengthen our relationships and social support networks.
- Let’s get support from other family members when needed for household responsibilities.
- Let’s avoid distractions to use our time outside of work productively.
- Let’s use tools that help us organize our work and increase our productivity.
- Be sure to take short breaks after long working hours to boost your energy.
- Make vacation plans within your means and set aside time to rest.
Of course, we must make a determined effort to maintain our work-life balance. By incorporating small steps into our lives and turning them into habits over time, it is possible to maintain balance in our work and personal lives.
Şenay Zuhur
Wellbeing Specialist & Specialist Nurse & Holistic Development Coach
Sources
- Sirgy M.J., Lee D.-J. Work-Life Balance: An Integrative Review. Appl. Res. Qual. Life. 2018; 13: 229-254.
- Kalliath T., Brough P. Work-Life Balance: A Review Of The Meaning Of The Balance Construct. J. Manag. Organ. 2008;14: 323–327.
- Gragnano, A., Simbula, S., Miglioretti, M. Work–Life Balance: Weighing the Importance of Work–Family and Work–Health Balance. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Feb 1;17(3):907.
- Kirchmeyer, C. (1993). Nonwork-to-work spillover: A more balanced view of the experiences and coping of professional women and men. Sex Roles, 28(9-10): 531-552.
- Greenhaus, J.H., Collins, K.M., Shaw, J.D. (2003). The relation between work-family balance and quality of life. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63(3): 510-531.
- Yavuz, N. (2018). An examination of work-life balance and work stress in the context of flexible working practices. Published Master’s Thesis. Istanbul: Istanbul University. Institute of Social Sciences. 10-11.
7. Marks, S.R. & MacDermid, S.M. (1996). Multiple roles and the self: A theory of role balance. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58: 417-432.