Some Points to Consider for Professionals on Work Life Balance

In these hypercompetitive times, stress and strain are common causes for concern for all professionals. Given the fact that most professionals work for twelve-hour workdays and more, it is natural that they begin to feel stressed out and tired because of overwork. This has the consequence of upsetting their physical and mental health as well as causing issues in their family life.

When modern corporate professionals spend a majority of their time in the office including working on weekends, they have little time to spend with their families. The work life balance or the necessity to ensure that work does not suffer and at the same time, personal life does not suffer as well is a favorite topic of discussion among corporate trainers and lifestyle experts.

If we look at the typical workday of many professionals, we find that a disproportionate amount of time is spent on commuting to and from the workplace to their homes. Even without accounting for congested roads in Asia and suburban homes in the West, the commute takes longer simply because staying close to the workplaces, which are located in the downtown areas, is expensive.

Hence, one aspect that can be remedied is by taking public transport, which not only reduces the carbon footprint but at the same time also ensures that professionals have the time to think about the day ahead on the way to work and reflect on the day completed on the way back home.

The next aspect about work life balance is that professionals must devise ways and means to work from home given the employer is willing to entertain such a possibility. Studies have shown that employees get more work done when they work from home and especially for the women professionals who might have to take care of kids when they are sick and attend to other commitments, working from home is an attractive option.

Of course, in recent months, because of the gloomy economic conditions, some employers are frowning on the work from home option and hence, it is high time for the policymakers and the governments to encourage employers to consider legitimate demands for working from home.

Working from home not only saves time on the commute but also is productive as employees are less distracted because of the buzz at the workplace and at the same time can take care of their personal commitments without having to forego their professional obligations.

The third aspect of work life balance is that it is critical for professionals to take their vacations regularly as it is a great time to de-stress and relax. Many multinationals like Citigroup have mandatory vacation periods because they not only want to be overly dependent on employees from the perspective of person independence, but also want their employees to take time off for vacations so that they can come back refreshed and rejuvenated.

The fourth aspect of work life balance is that professionals must indulge in physical activities and exercise regularly as this helps them to stay fit physically and mentally. Further, they must avoid taking calls at home in the evenings on regular workdays except when they are working from home and as far as possible, they must avoid working on weekends. Apart from this, they must ensure that time spent at the workplace is for genuine work related reasons and not merely to while away the time in pursuit of non-work related activities.

For instance, it is common for many unmarried professionals to stay on at the workplace even when they do not have any work because they do not want to go to their homes as the workplace becomes more exciting because of the company of their peers. This is a habit that might work when professionals are unmarried but once they have a family, this habit can be self-defeating and lead to adverse work life balance.