Rethinking Work-Life Balance

Work/Life balance is a hot topic. The irony is, the very topic lacks balance! Work and life are not separate bits of our existence, despite work demands that imply they are.

Work/life balance is a stingy idea. With more people asking themselves, ‘Is this all there is?’ as they struggle to meet the needs of their family and community as well as keep their job, we need to adopt a broader perspective. Work/life balance confines our thinking to a model that is inappropriate, unappealing and unrealistic.

We have a life. Work is part of our life. What we need to focus on is our wellbeing across all domains of life, including, but not only, work. It’s not that there’s Work, and then there is Life. There is Life. Part of our life is work, among many other life parts.

Wellbeing is not so much about getting some arbitrary balance right but about knowing what is important to us, what we value, what our priorities are, making decisions congruent with these, building resilience skills and responding more resourcefully to time and interpersonal stressors.

Wellbeing is a broader concept than health, both mental and physical. It includes life satisfaction, emotion, connections to other people and the community, a sense of purpose and meaning. Wellbeing is about feeding and nourishing the body, heart, mind and soul.

Individuals welcome time to reflect on their wellbeing

When people have the opportunity in a Work/Life Wellbeing program to reflect on their level of life satisfaction, their values and goals, they re-affirm that their priorities do not necessarily all lie with Work. They begin to see that there is a mismatch between their actions and their values and priorities. As a result, they seek greater consistency, thereby building wellbeing.

People also start to find ways to take time for the most neglected party, themselves, realising that sacrificing their own health, values, and interests does not serve anyone well.

Fostering wellbeing in the workplace

One of the main factors generating stress for people is hours spent at work, combined with the do-more-with-less mentality. Managers who work long hours, for whatever reasons, set a bad example. They make it difficult for others to go home at a reasonable hour.

Family-friendly policies are then at risk of being no more than endearing rhetoric. Doing-more-with-less in small teams means that even though family-friendly policies exist to encourage flexible working arrangements, it is difficult for people to take leave of any kind. People choose to stay at work rather than feel guilty about inflicting more work on colleagues.

There’s accumulating evidence that time spent at work is negatively affecting relationships, family and community life. We’re also warned about dire health threats – diabetes, depression, obesity, to name a few. Yet no one’s saying: Watch out for the collective impact of a physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted workforce.

People want to work in organisations that take their wellbeing seriously. Sadly, despite the APS being values-driven, many public servants experience APS values more as rhetoric than reality. Yet it is possible for organisations to be values-driven and take wellbeing seriously.

The YWCA Canberra, employing 185 full, part-time and casual staff, exemplifies a values-driven organisation. Key values include equity and fairness; diversity; self-determination and empowerment; women’s leadership; and reconciliation with Indigenous Australians.

These values inform what they do and how they do it. Staff meetings explore the values to arrive at shared understanding. Decision-making is driven by the values. If tender bids are not congruent with these values, no bid is made. Working conditions are consistent with the values. A staff-led committee surveys staff needs. Yes, it may take extra effort. Sometimes it may generate inconvenience. But being values-driven pays dividends. Staff want to work there and members want to join.

Fostering wellbeing now needs a national approach

Rethinking work/life balance is more than individuals and organisations.

Research is confirming that for the affluent majority in affluent nations, increased income and greater economic growth bring little or no greater happiness in its wake. We have moved past the point where increases in living standards and buying more make us happy in the long-term.

New Economics Foundation researcher, Richard Reeves points out in his paper ‘The Politics of Happiness’: "The problem with late capitalism is not what it gives us – there is little wrong with Faberge or Furbys. It is what it is failing to give us: companionship, time for reflection, spirituality, equity, intellectual development and joy in our children. We have come this far, only so as to miss so much."

Take the case of obesity, a wellbeing destroyer that is receiving national attention. Long hours at work means taking quick, easy and cheap food options is attractive. Being too tired to do anything, plus leaving and returning home in the dark, mean that physical activity doesn’t happen. Much easier to slump in front of the telly with a pizza. Yet an extra hour or two combined with a pint of energy could make a big difference to what people eat and do.

Surely this type of wellbeing loss is self-inflicted. Our daily and weekly decisions taken year in and year out, about what we eat, how much and how often, are the crux of the matter. Obesity is an individual responsibility.

Yet those decisions are made within the cultural scaffolding of the market ethos.

Surely then, the food, drink and advertising industries must also bear some responsibility? But, you say, people should be free to make their own choices however bad they might be. The evidence is that millions of people are making poor choices that influence their wellbeing in ways that are also bad for the rest of us. What about the cumulative impact on the public purse, insurance premiums, and access to facilities like public hospitals?

Reeves goes on to say: "A successful politics of wellbeing is not about coercion or restraint. The goal must be to make the right choice easier, not mandatory. This certainly requires a taming of wasteful consumption competition. More importantly, it means shifting the ‘general sentiment’ of society in a direction that is more conducive to the quality of our lives."

Australia could be a world wellbeing leader by starting a shift in our general sentiment. The first step is to accept that we need new thinking. As Einstein said: "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking which created them."

Thinking in terms of wellbeing rather than balance means rethinking our approach to some key policy issues. To kick off, let’s hold a National Wellbeing Summit, bringing together expertise to establish a National Agenda for Wellbeing.

Wellbeing is of such importance it needs all levels of government, business and the community to put their heads together. There are plenty of precedents. Recently we’ve seen a national approach to water management established. We’ve also had a National Summit on Housing Affordability. Increasingly we’re recognising that the really important issues cross political, geographic, social and knowledge boundaries.

A National Agenda for Wellbeing would start the process of shifting thinking, creating long-term strategies that raise everyone’s wellbeing, and in doing so, save buckets of money.

References:

Richard Eckersley, Well & Good, How we feel & why it matters

Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness, www.authentichappiness.org

Richard Reeves, ‘The Politics Of Happiness’, A nef discussion paper, www.neweconomics.org

Dr Ann Villiers, learning guide, professional speaker and author, is Australia's only Mental Nutritionist® specialising in mind and language practices that help people build flexible thinking, confident speaking and quality connections with people. Visit www.mentalnutrition.com to learn more about Mental Nutrition. Visit www.selectioncriteria.com.au for free resources unlocking the mysteries of public service jobs.