Work Life Ballance, a Perspective

In today’s busy, long hour, stressful work force, keeping a good “work life balance” is a key goal.  But what does this mean for the work part?  I’m working with some managers in Visual Studio to address our people staffing needs and this issue came up today.

Image-lifeworkbalanceSay you work 8 to 10 hours a day (or something like 6 to 12 in my case) 5 days a week, what happens next, you go home for a few hours before bed?  So you have “work” about 3/4ths of the business day, then “life” is 1/4th?  Or how about the new MS hire fella that told his manager that his 10yr plan was to retire?  He plans on real hard work for 10yr, then life?  Some studies show that the man’s mortality rate increases after retirement.  It seams that people have an innate need for a purpose and work helps with this.  But does “life” only effectively exist outside of work?

Here’s what I say, to be happy with life as a whole, the abstract things you do for “life” should encompass work.  Happiness in the workplace isn’t just about the traditional “work life balance”, it’s a “Life Balance @ Work” .  Of course much of “life” is outside of work (thank goodness!!), but to have a holistic perspective, a good life means a good balance at work.

What do you do that increases general enjoyment of life?  Building relationships, investing your time in something important, having purpose and goals, creating something, solving challenges, etc.  Making an effort to do these on the job can significantly improve true “work life balance”.

Don’t like what you’re doing because it lacks purpose?  You could find channels within your job towards things you enjoy, or pay more attention to investing in relationships with those around you (going to lunch together, chatting about non-work topics, etc).  In my case, I enjoy community and networking with people to bring new ideas and perspectives.  As a PM at MS, I look for opportunities that focus in these areas, for example, attending conferences, speaking at usergroups, blogging, etc.

There are many factors that influence “on the job satisfaction”.  This perspective is one I believe managers can help their reports with.  By paying attention to what gets their people jazzed up, and finding more opportunities for them in those areas, people would be all the happier at their job.

At MS, I believe we have excellent opportunities to do what we really enjoy within work.  It is easy to overwork on things that will burn you out if you don’t enjoy them.  The key is taking an honest look at what you’re doing today, what gets you excited, and bridging the gap by reaching for the right kinds of assignments.  For the next month, all MS employees are going through their annual performance evaluations with their managers.  Part of the process is setting our individual commitments for the next year.  A wise man told me that your commitments should help you accomplish your goals.  You can use your commitment to have your manager help and support you towards your goals.  It’s not just about being accountable for your deliverables the next year.  This is a great perspective that I’m looking forward to applying this year!  I know I’ll be all the more effective at my job the more I’m doing what I love.  So this year I’m going to try setting commitments that will help me achieve a better life balance at work.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    June 01, 2007
    Perhaps you should write an article about 'spelling life balance'.  Its an easier balance to get right... ;)

  • Anonymous
    June 05, 2008
    In today’s busy, long hour, stressful work force, keeping a good “work life balance” is a key goal. But what does this mean for the work part? I’m working with some managers in Visual Studio to address our people