Work / Life Balance

Work, Life balance has been a big topic in the employment world lately. For employers, it has been something that they need to pay close attention to in the next few years and make sure that they offer as much of a work, life balance as possible. As we all know, there are many companies that are already bracing for the changes that the Millennials are bringing to the workplace, but work, life balance is not only favored by Millennials, but also by most other workers as well. I remember growing up in the 80’s and the viewpoint of a successful job/career was working really hard and putting in many long hours to get to the top. Many people were very serious about it and took pride in working overtime and it was almost like bragging rights. It is what made people feel successful. Now, fast forward to today and most of the people who are in the prime of their careers are the children of the parents who worked the long hours and seemed proud to do so. However, their children apparently were not that thrilled with the long hours and being labeled as second to the job. Those that are in the prime of their careers now want to do all that they can to not do that to their children. Work and life balance is a really big desire for some of the most talented individuals. They want to be at home with their kids. They do not want to miss ball games, recitals, performances and so on. And if there hasn’t been anyone to tell you lately, skilled talent in desired fields is in a very high demand. There is going to be a fierce competition between companies to keep their top talent and offering a good work, life balance will probably be at the top of the list. So what does work, life balance look like in their eyes? Well, I can tell you from just interviewing others that all that they are looking for is more of a set schedule. Most employees that I meet prefer a schedule of Monday through Friday 8 – 5 with the ability to take off work if they have something important come up. Many of us have certain things that require our attention such as: doctors’ appointments, a sick child, or something that is meaningful to family. I think the majority are not being unrealistic, but just wanting to be able to take care of normal life things. Successful businesses and successful business men and women are no doubt in a schedule frenzy and have a lot going on. And if the business is going to succeed in today’s market, they are going to have to out-perform the competition. Doing that takes having the top talent and getting the most out of them as possible while they are there. But having the top talent, may take some flexibility with their schedule so that they do not miss out on the things that are most important to them. You don’t want to lose your top talent, so it’s best to consider letting them have a good work, life balance.