Cracking the Myths of Work-Life Balance
The term”work-life balance myth” was not popular until the year 1986. Although it’s still used but it doesn’t fit our current circumstances. However, before we can redefine it, we have to look at the development of working and work.
Rise and decline of man who runs the company
After World War II, soldiers returned to the “revitalized” United States. In the following 30 years in it was the United States enjoyed economic expansion. This time period was known as”the Great Compression: economic expansion along with social welfare policies and healthy, strong unions slashed wage gaps and pushed everyone toward the middle.
As a child was employed and became an “Company Man,” whose job culminated in a pension after a long period of service. It was a non-written contract between the employer and the employee.
It was unlikely that you would discuss the subject of work-life balance. This would have been interpreted as a sign that you weren’t committed to your work and were not committed to the company.
Gen X, the first step towards the workplace that is transactional
The changes began to take place in the middle of the 70s. This was the time of the ending to the covenant. Generation Xers, as children, were witness to the downsizing and “right-sizing” that their parents endured.
Many took this lesson into their own hands and later on as adults, realized that they could not rely on one business to care for their needs. Instead of selling their talents to established companies and relying on their experience to start their own businesses that led to Dot-com’s boom.
The workplaces at the time of the internet were usually less formal, more inclusive and also experimental in their the way they worked. Young people with a creative mind came up with innovative ways to use technology to redefine how work and the workplace should appear. Work-life balance demands that workers were not capable of achieving under the terms of the convention were first formulated through Gen X founders.
Millennials shift the needle
Gen Xers realized the challenges of working and maintaining a private life, and still hoping to achieve success professionally. It was still necessary to work first. The most they could create a workplace that was flexible enough to accommodate changing priorities and requirements in one’s life.
The Millennial attitude is distinct. It is called work-life balance. This cannot be mistaken for balanced. Generation Yers aren’t doing a better job managing their lives and their work schedule than the GenXers are. They have instead been able to integrate work into their daily lives, breaking down barriers between work and home.
Many millennials are establishing careers through the gig economy and seeking part-time or flexible working arrangements. Sometimes, this is due to the necessity of it, while for some it’s a choice lifestyle option. In addition, they take various roles to try various avenues in the pursuit of discovering their goals.
Generation Y knowledge workers have more adaptable skill sets that the Gen X predecessors. They are more influential in the market for transactions than previous generations. In a way”transactional “natives,” whereas those who had gone before were considered to be transactional “immigrants” who had to adjust to the changes in the marketplace of work.
Gen Z as well as the upcoming options for work-life
Although Gen Z is a new concept, Gen Z identity is still evolving, there appears to be a resemblance of certain trends seen by the Millennials.
Similar to the Millennials, they did not have the covenant and never believed that employers to provide for them throughout their entire lives.
However, they do know that the safety nets of society are in danger. Gen Zers cannot not count on a income, they aren’t certain Medicare as well as Social Security can be available at the time they retire.
This reserved and pragmatic outlook determines how Gen Zers integrate the work life into their schedules. He moving away from work-life integration , and seeking what I call alternatives to their work schedules. They are reportedly very keen on stability in their employment, and, as with the Millennial generation. They are keen on establishing careers with firms that provide professional growth and advancement.
He utilize their time to pursue hobbies that could eventually lead to careers. Gen Z isn’t taking on multiple jobs to pursue their interests or discover their true passion.
They’re working for stable jobs while pursuing side projects that might be revenue streams in the future. They are commonly referred to as “side hustles.” Their goals tend to be more practical.
A legend that has been rewritten
Then, will the concept of work-life balance change? Probably. It’s unlikely that workers will receive what they’ve really have always wanted in terms of autonomy and control over their lives to take meaningful choices about what they perform, the way it’s done, and how they can master the art of doing it right.
If employers meet these demands and recognize and respect the motivations of employees working-life balance won’t ever be a struggle between work and life. This isn’t the case at all.
The distinction between work and life has always been a misnomer. It is time to break away from the belief that work is just something we do to earn money as well as “life” merely. The momentary respite between arriving at the office. When work is a source of enjoyment for us, is life-affirming.
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