I was not long in the workforce before I started hearing a lot about a certain mythic state of equipoise called the "work-life balance." The core message seemed to be that "work" was something odious to be minimized because the only worthwhile "living" occurred out of work hours. Indeed the data certainly support the claim that workers are putting in more hours than at any time since abolition (1865 in the US); however I am not convinced that this always translates into an unbalanced or incomplete life.
Since the time I started working full-time in 1984 I have not shied away from hard work. However none of my wife kids or I believe that I have sacrificed family or personal happiness at the alter of Mammon. Rather than a very sharp black and white separation between work and life technology and more flexible work practices are beginning to blur the distinction between work and personal life. Taken to an extreme the constantly buzzing Blackberry can ruin the family dinner or story-telling time; however fax machines laptops Blackberries I-Phones and home broadband have made it possible in recent years to blend work and life — at least for many office workers.
Moreover to insist on a rigid work-life balance always suggests to me that work is some awful Anglo-Saxon torture visited upon the otherwise "free" soul of Rousseau’s natural man. I recognize of course that throughout my working life I have been fortunate to work in safe relatively high-paying white collar jobs that provide intellectual challenge but my point is that it is precisely in these environments that we hear most about "work-life balance." One need not be a Calvinist to believe that useful work can also contribute to a life well-lived.
There is little new in this. At college (university for those outside the US) my classmates divided quite evenly between those who left dorm room or apartment to go work at the library and those of us for whom reading Balzac did not seem to be hard labor to be performed only in a salt mine and who happily stayed at home balancing "work" and "life."
Lest this post appear like a paid advertisement by the Business Roundtable on the rewards of capitalism I remind you that no businessman has ever declared on his deathbed that his life would have been fulfilled had he only had time for one more conference call.
Your observations hit very close to home Tom. Setting boundaries is something each of us must do for ourselves–and our families. Technology has allowed me to blend work and life in ways I never thought possible. However like medicine and poison I’ve found the only difference in balance and lack of balance is the dose. As a side note my compliments to you on this blog. Sharing your personal insights in this very public blog shows authenticity few leaders exhibit. –Green Side Out
Hi Tom! I am a Calvinist and I happen to be one of your future employees (as of tomorrow). I look forward to putting in many more years into TR!
For the most part Work IS life and life takes work. To separate them looking for balance seems like a recipe for under performance or unhappiness. I say integrate them to the point they become the same effort. The pop culture self help books seem to offer the best advice – find a way do what you love. And if you can find a way to do what you love with people that you like the need to seek balance won
Tom Congrats on the merger! I have regularly kept up with your blog since the acquisition was announced. I am in strategy from the Thomson side of the house and I think I can confidently say that we are thrilled to have a CEO who blogs and keeps up with the latest trends in new media politics technology and also articulates his thoughts in a very open readable manner. My personal opinion on work life balance is that everyone needs to find their own mix. If they can’t find this mix and feel as though work is a drudgery and are constantly watching the clock… well then the problem is likely that they are in the wrong job to begin with. Falguni
Well whats the secret for managing the work-life balance is the big question? I have seen people around me with two extremes – some are very successful in their work but struggle to maintain their personal life some who have a lovable family but are doing their regular work just because it pays them. They don’t have the passion to exceed in their work. The real challenge is to excel in both. I always believed that be the best in whatever I do or don’t be there. I just started a family and now I am struggling to keep up with my belief :). There is always something more you can do to make your work better. Then you have to put a fullstop and say i need to be with family. Will me nice if Tom can share his winning formula of managing both.
Since we spend so much of our lives at work we should all make sure that we are truly passionate about what we do. There is that saying – if you love your job you never will work a day in your life. A career is a lifetime endeavor that includes not only work but also family and leisure time. Nurturing all parts of your life is what achieves true balance. Unhappiness at work crosses into home life and unhappiness at home life crosses into work life there is no wall that separates them. I really enjoy reading your blogs. It is heartening to see that someone in such a powerful and demanding position has such a down-to-earth perspective on life.
Congrats Tom on the blog. At the risk of repeating the earlier posts you are to be complimented on sharing your views and insights in such an honest and forthright manner. I agree absolutely that work is perceived in some quarters as this monster that imposes itself upon family and lifestyle. Is the individual that ultimately controls how well or indeed how badly this relationship works.
This is such a tricky topic. The important thing is to keep thinking and working on it. The iphone pulling me away from the family dinner table can be the same device that allows me to go to my daughters soccer game. Technology allows me to be unchained from my desk. It also keeps me perpetually connected. I have told my employees to stop working and I’ve also told them they needed to put more time in. Office and employees need to discuss and continually re-evaluate how they are balancing work and rest (i like rest rather than life because I love my job.) Rest and separation are critical components to creative work. Just like an athlete that must carefully maintain an edge without over training the office worker must maintain their own edge if they want to work at a high level.
Does one compliment the other or do the two compete? Managing my relationships at home which are a great deal more sensitive and important to me has made me twice the manager work. Managing priorities at work which are typically more intricate and complex have made me better at prioritizing how I spend my time at home. These are definitly ways the two compliment each other. Yet when my wife must attend an evening event and I am not able escape work in time to take over with the kids there is no other way to perceive the two but as competing elements in my life. In the competing situations I try to remain calm but use every moment of pain brought on by them as motiviation to better plan my days ahead! This could mean jumping on the train the moment the crises begins at work so I can be fully plugged in at home prior the bridge opening up on it. It may also be having the foresight to know high risk times ahead to help my wife plan her schedule at home around these periods. While being constantly plugged in makes it easier to do being highly dedicated to my work as well as my family remains a challenge. There I times when it feels like I am failing at both. It hasn
It’s time we changed the terminology. ‘Balance’ implies that work and life are two separate forces in opposition to each other. Work/Life INTEGRATION is the reality that technology and new work patterns have created for us. If your personal values and drivers are fully in line with those of your employer integration of work and the rest of your life is not just ‘no-problem’ it’s actually a huge benefit. But the 24/7 world aided by advances in technology becomes a huge problem if there is a lack of allignment between you your boss and his stakeholders. Boundaries will constantly be a source of conflict. The good news is that such conflicts are easier to resolve than ever and they are clearer for all to see again thanks to the transparency our new connected world.
Tom I cannot agree more with you. After I became a Dad of 3 girls I realized the importance of turning of my blackberry and my pc when I am back home. The moments we have with them are very important. Today my oldest one is turning 16 and it seems that it was yesterday she was born. Now to maintain the close relationship is vital we participate in their day to day activities. I am still someone who works very hard but having a good working balance. I have been very selective to the meeting I should or not be attending to because there are things in life we will not have a second life then I can tell you how happy I am sharing your views on this matter.
Tom I agree with the integration of work and life and leveraging the latest technologies to help support this movement. With that said any chance that we can pilot some Macbook Pro’s and iPhones at TR? I appreciate the mission of this company to provide information to act and I think the technology platform is very important in that transaction. Personally I have used my own Mac to stay in touch with parents and friends on the other side of the globe with a couple of clicks. Not that a Dell couldn’t do this but the Mac and other Apple technologies seems to make global communication quick and easy. Maybe there’s a good reason why Macs aren’t used in big corporations but I just have not figured it out yet. -Phil
Thats a inspirational article with a touch of philosophy embedded within. Our world sure needs many more leaders like you. I hope your organization is able to cultivate similar ideology amongst the employees perhaps by enabling and empowering them to better package their life.
A little late as the article is from a few years back… but couldn’t help posting my comments…. “Work” can be a very integral and important part of your “life” and in such cases no need to balance the two; “work” in that case is something you do as a part of living – just like brushing your teeth or reading a book and everything else in life. Unfortunately it is not like that for all of us. Many of us work only to earn a living and would rather not be working if we didn’t have to. And here is where the “Work Life Balance” thing comes in. Clearly this indicates that “life” is something distinct from work – something that you would prefer to do and would do even without any obligations. I know that you should be doing something that is based on your strengths and what you enjoy doing – so you don’t feel like you are not “living” your life if you spend a lot of time at work. But the option is not always available. Work is not designed in such a way that it would necessarily fit the interests of the person designated to perform the work. And on the other hand we can’t always earn a living by doing the things that we would readily choose to do – like who would pay us for looking after our own children? Tom Glocer mentions that “safe relatively high-paying white collar jobs” are the places where you hear “Work Life Balance” more often. It is quite apparent then that these are the places where the issue is – people working in these places would rather do something outside their work. Possibly people in these environments are focusing at other things then personal interests when choosing their jobs (maybe the compensation). Plus this kind of work can be quite stressful and people in these jobs generally have to work quite hard. That is why they need to have a break from work – to enjoy other things in life. And hence the need for “Work Life Balance”. Naturally an organization would want to choose employees who feel that working is the same as living. But also quite naturally no organization would find all employees of the same such kind. And an organization is not able to ensure that they offer all its employees are offered the kind of work that the individual considers an integral part of their lives. Does it mean that the organization should find out and remove such employees? Possibly not. It is not really possible to get 100% of such employees who perfectly fit in their roles. Thus the “Work Life Balance” campaigns. It is a way of saying “Look we can’t really offer you stimulating and meaningful work all the time. But we do realize that you work hard and sacrifice other things in life that you enjoy for work. So we encourage that you find means of enjoying your life.”
A good reminder by TR.100 that a desire for diversity in the employee base and inclusion should also include being open to welcoming employees for whom it is “just a job” but who nonetheless put in an honorable day’s work trade value to the company for a fair wage and want the freedom to live their lives out of work as well.
Tom this is a fantastic subject. In my house my daughters (15 and 12) are encouraged to do what they love and enjoy. They are also encouraged and start envisioning what that might look like as a career whether it exists today or not. Mom and Dad function as examples of this leading Mom to open an Art Gallery and run an online art magazine. Dad fulfills a passion by writing a book on a topic he holds near and dear that has considerable application in his work. It’s a natural course that Mom’s and Dad’s pursuits and our daughters current passions become part of the dinner conversation. Some may consider that “bringing work home”. Hopefully in our house it’s sharing passions that happen to be also function as the way Mom and Dad make a living. Is every day great? No. Our lives have their ups and downs. In an optimal setting passions and work are not opposite positions of a light switch.