What is Work / Life Balance?
Well we all know when our balance is out. It seems like we are spending so much time at the office and we don't have enough time for the other aspects in our lives which can be defined as your
personal life and
community life .
Your
personal life can be defined as
family time, fitness, eating well, personal administration, caring for yourself , etc. etc.
Community life may be defined as charity work, church activities and those sorts of things.
As we all know, it is sometimes difficult to fit all of these things into 24 hrs a day. Therefore the aim is to work smarter rather than harder; some companies are coupling a few of these things together.
In an attempt to bring some of these things into employees
work life , companies introduce initiatives like CSR (
Corporate Social Responsibility ) and
Environmental teams to the work in the environment which contribute to the community through fundraising, work or actions. By contributing or participating, you can do your bit for the community. Also the various
social functions and
sporting activities organized by your work colleagues can be considered as contributions to your
personal life by interacting with your work mates on a different level in a less formal manner. These schemes and initiatives are championed by companies promising a greater
work/life balance and a sense of fulfillment and good community spirit, but do they create a better
work/life balance ? If you are carrying out activities with work mates is it creating a work/work balance with a bit of "unofficial" teambuilding thrown in for good measure? Or is it indeed creating better employees who will feel more balanced and happier that the company provides an opportunity to align their Work/Life Balance?
Provided by Scott Pearson,
Turner Townsend
Young Chamber Sub Committee Member
