Life/Work (Im)balance?

“I’m fed up with my staff” said my client “It’s not about getting the job done anymore. It’s about pandering to their feelings and desires; tiptoeing around them so that they perform their duties adequately and don’t sue us. And they also expect a pay rise or bonus after 5 minutes in the role!”

Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon sentiment amongst employers in my experience. Some feel that the scale has tipped too far in favour of ‘life’ in the ‘work/life’ balance as unreasonable conditions are placed on them by their people.

I believe that we need a healthy balance, but I acknowledge these frustrations.  It does appear that some staff are increasingly bolder regarding the terms under which they are prepared to work, without appreciating that they must play their part in proving themselves and earning the rewards that they expect. It’s meant to be a two-way street.

The recruiters tell us that salary and benefits are not the only important factors for candidates anymore. It appears that creating a positive culture, allowing flexibility in terms of how and when staff work around the life commitments, offering career progression opportunities and keeping them engaged with a company’s purpose are big priorities too.

This new approach and accompanying work ethic may prove challenging for some leaders to get their head around, particularly when they have worked for many years with a mantra of “work hard, play hard” (in that order) in their own careers.

Perhaps it should have been called a life/work balance all along, but nobody is owed a living and it’s OK to think that work should be a priority if someone has a paid job with you.

So, what’s the new work mantra? Is it “play hard and work only when you really have to, and on your terms (and make sure you get everything you are entitled to)”, or am I just being flippant?! ; )