Work-life balance: the importance of balance between work and personal life

The current times bring new winds in the workplace, such as productivity improvement techniques, team building or the new workplace harassment prevention programs. Among them stands out the work-life balance or, in other words, the balance between free time and work time.

And it is that One of the destructive aspects of this new era is the blurring of the boundaries between work and everyday life.. Factors such as social networks, flexible schedules and the increase in people taking advantage of a self-employed regime make finishing work practically a utopia.

What is work-life balance?

Work-life balance is an English term that refers to balance between time and resources devoted to paid work and time and resources devoted to other vital occupations. Both work and free time are necessary to ensure physical and psychological well-being.

A person with a good work-life balancee works the stipulated hours, in a schedule that allows him to reconcile his personal life with his work life and has adequate time to have leisure with his social circles. This includes, of course, having a healthy work environment and sufficient remuneration to cover the vital needs of each individual.

In addition, it is necessary to invest money and time in creating good conditions for workers. Some companies disguise conciliation with questionable methods. Surely the following sounds familiar to you: recording extra hours as if they were rest or passing off work activities as leisure. team building.

Why is work-life balance important?

As said in previous lines, good management of the time and resources dedicated to work and daily life is synonymous with well-being and productivity. So that you can see this in a less abstract way, here are the most important points to take into account in the work-life balance:

If limits are not established on work time, it becomes the only important activity. That is, if a clear work schedule and functions are not defined, it is easy for the feeling of having something pending to do to extend to covering the entire day.Prevent syndrome burnout and depressive and anxiety disorders is essential to maintain a healthy and productive population. If people do not have the opportunity to take care of all aspects of their lives, sooner or later they will stop producing, whether they want to or not.Life is more than working and taking care of responsibilities. It is not enough to leave just enough time for people to fulfill their domestic responsibilities. Rest and leisure time are also necessary to keep the mind and body in good condition.

Think, for example, of a self-employed worker. Since your earnings depend directly on how much you work, it is very easy for you to extend your working hours to practically your entire waking period. Not knowing how to set a schedule for yourself (or the precariousness of the job) will end up generating boredom, anxiety and chronic stress.

Physical health also suffers greatly when this balance is not respected.. Injuries from maintaining fixed postures for a long time, from making excessive physical efforts or from performing the same task over and over for hours are an epidemic in the world of work. That’s not to mention the costs that the health system incurs in dealing with all these disorders.

How is balance achieved?

Both company and worker have responsibilities in terms of achieving a good work-life balance. The ideas we list below can help you better understand how company and employee should collaborate so that both benefit from the relationship:

Establish perfectly defined schedules: whether on the part of the company or a self-employed worker for himself, having fixed hours is synonymous with health. Ambiguous limits on hours encourage exploitation, since they create the feeling that one could be working continuously.Protect your own health: It is easy to make the mistake that you can force your body and mind to continue producing. In the short term there are solutions that allow this to be done (psychotropic drugs, anti-inflammatories, physiotherapy services, etc.). However, progressive and subtle wear occurs that deteriorates health and, therefore, productivity.He work-life balance It is not only family conciliation: Not only people with children have vital needs. No one should have to justify their breaks with responsibilities.

In the end, create a good work-life balance It requires companies to commit and do their part to achieve it, but also the conscious control of the individual when managing themselves. It is easy to fall into behaviors and dynamics that sabotage one’s well-being and rights.

The new times of teleworking

Finally, a special mention must be made of teleworking. As an emerging modality, there are still many aspects to regulate. The demands increase because the person does not have to travel, the expenses are not compensated in the bills for working at home, the schedules in many cases are blurred.

Situations like these open the door to topics like the one at hand, since it is a little explored field where breaking with what is established is easier than in traditional work. In any case, what is clear is that reconciling all vital aspects has advantages for everyone.

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