The Work vs Life balance – do you get this right?

As most of us who have been working since the 90’s know, life is very different now to how it was 10-15 (and certainly 20-25) years ago.

The idea that to impress your boss you got in early, worked through your lunch and/or stayed late, is no longer the norm. Now, most of us talk about a Work vs Life balance and the importance of this has never been more relevant. Finland’s Prime Minister even recently proposed a four day week with 6 hour days.

Back in the day, the internet, mobile working and the global connectivity revolution hadn’t changed the world and the opportunities to follow passions from travel to hobbies, or professional development are so easily accessible to all.

Then we had the global pandemic and that REALLY changed things!

Since then, the needle has swung all over the place on the ‘remote working Vs office working’ dial in the last few years.
Clearly, it’s not easy to find what is right for both the employer’s business, their staff attraction & retention plan whilst also ensuring the right balance for their employees.
Very basically, 4 years ago, the vast majority of us worked from the office. Then everyone worked remotely!
Tony Danker, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, recently said the “whole world of work” had “gone crazy” since the pandemic. He claims that if you ask most bosses, they secretly want everyone to come back to the office. and we have clients who stand by that.

That said, we also speak to hundreds of top-quality job-seekers who discuss their hybrid-working criteria.
Different businesses (often in the same sectors) have taken alternative, and sometimes opposing views in this balancing act. Whilst there is no definitive answer, a company’s approach to remote working, flexibility and presenteeism could make a difference in how you hire quality candidates.

Whether we like it or not is irrelevant to a large degree. The working world has changed and it’s now the norm (especially as recent generations see it), to ‘work to live’ as opposed to the opposite approach that so many adopted 20 years ago.

Most employers have embraced this to some degree and realise that they have a duty to help their teams benefit from this. In an employment market where there’s an ever-increasing challenge to attract and retain the top talent, there’s a need to offer an enjoyable work environment and benefits that are… …Benefits. The real Work vs Life balance.

From an employer’s perspective, even if this approach is to ensure your business is commercially appealing to work for, this is now the key to sustaining or growing your company.

There are many well-known, large companies who have embraced and in many cases, driven this approach to levels that few of us can compete with. Netflicks and Zappos are two prime examples where the culture is legendary and well recorded, discussed and emulated by others.

Employees at these businesses receive unrivalled freedom that ranges from unlimited holidays, unquestioned expense claims and working hours that they themselves decide necessary to get their job done.

What’s right for you business is clearly your decision, however if you want to know what others are doing within your sector, you want a ‘sense check’ or you want to be challenged, I’m only a phone call away.

Please just bear in mind, I may be working remotely.

To discuss this and other recruitment and retention topics and to understand how we can help your business become an employer of choice, let’s have an old-fashioned conversation!

Contact me at lawrence@bondmoran.co.uk.