Life-Work Balance

One company’s co-founder waxes eloquent about working 70 hours a week.  Another company’s chairman insists that employees work 90 hours a week.  Social media has been flooded with memes ever since these proclamations came about – the Amul “Labour & Toil” one took the bread…err…cake!  What would we, as a society do, if not for humor!  Be that as it may, completely ignoring these statements is perilous.  Because not only are these statements the tip of the iceberg and a symptom of a larger problem.  But also, these lines could have an insidious effect on work culture that may extend beyond the companies that these so-called leaders helm.  And what could end up as the biggest casualty is that beautiful but often elusive notion of life-work balance. (Why does everyone have to call it work-life balance!)

Image courtesy of Financial Express

Over time, especially with the omnipresence of social media, an unfortunate development is that people that are scarcely qualified to make statements on a particular topic get the platform to do so.  Anyone with a smartphone assumes the role of a movie critic.  One does not seem to need a medical degree to make a health-related recommendation.  Similarly, C-suite executives feel entitled to speak about antiquated work practices while seemingly ignoring the concept of productivity and the ill effects of continual stress on one’s health.  What we hear are the voices of those who have the self-granted license to get away with irresponsible statements.  It is because these executives are in positions of great power.  They know fully well that despite all the backlash, the searing opinion pieces and the hilarious memes, that they can continue to wield the power to make statements and even foster unhealthy work practices. 

I have seen some argue that these executives got to where they got to by dint of hard work and long hours.  Full credit to them, yes.  But not everyone might have the capacity, desire, willingness or the means to get to the upper echelons of management.  More importantly, the folks that defend these statements fail to realize that the leaders did not achieve what they did in a vacuum.  Just like the ones who join a corporation owe the company a focused, enduring demonstration of their abilities and a healthy attitude, those at the top owe to their employees a physically and psychologically safe environment.  When we hear numbers like 70 and 90 hours, it is clear that that safety is not their utmost concern.  Not by a long shot. 

Am I suggesting that one must not go the extra mile at work?  And inflexibly stick to a strictly 40 hours a week routine?  No, not at all.  There are times when one would have the zest and passion to go above and beyond.  There are times when there will be a time-sensitive need to work a little harder and, yes, longer than normal. (Seeing the previous line, I realize that I should have italicized, “normal!”)  There are times when an employee might not really have a ready alternative to a tough environment, due to reasons ranging from financial to societal pressures.  But working long hours without sufficient rest or proper sleep will, for the most part, catch up with us and manifest themselves in myriad ways.  In the form of strained relationships, declining physical or mental health, burnout and so on. Social science research shows that the pernicious effects of continual stress are significantly higher than the stress caused by one-off life events (such as the loss of a job, death of a loved one, etc.) Sure, there may be exceptions.  But I do firmly believe that nothing immoderate is sustainable. 

On a related note, I must point out that there is an important distinction that we must make between hectic and tedious.  During times of high pressure and tough deadlines, it is imperative that employees feel an intrinsic motivation to work hard.  They must feel like they belong.  That their work matters.  And that they as a person- inclusive of their physical and mental health- matter.  I have witnessed some superb leadership of critical path projects wherein leaders and team members rallied around one another, under high pressure but without having that pressure transform into stress.  So, I know that it is indeed possible to at least create a sub-culture within a large organization where one's health is not a casualty during times of intense work pressures.

Commitment to our work is important, no doubt.  It is what keeps the lights on and puts food on the table at home.  But commitment to the ones for whom we are an integral part of their support system is even more important.  Additionally, we also have a commitment to people whom we consider as our support system.  Because the ones that are shouldering our burdens, concerns, worries and pressures, in turn, need and deserve the bare minimum assurance that we are doing things in service of our own physical and mental health.  Alas, these commitments are all intertwined, rarely mutually exclusive.  One needs to put in genuine effort to ensure that the scales don’t tilt heavily in any one direction for a lengthy period of time.  It may not always be easy.  But one cannot afford to stop trying.