1. WORK LIFE BALANCE – MYTHs Vs
REALITY
Team Inferno Presenting

2. 2
1 Definitions / Concept
2 Evolution
3 Components
4 Determinants
5 Balance
6 Models and Theories
7 WLB in Organizations
8 Myths and Realities
9 Tips for improved WLB
Agenda for the Day

3. 3
A Story – Father and Daughter

4. 4
Introduction
Work–life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between “work” (career
and ambition) on one hand and “life” (Health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual
development) on the other.
Employee: Satisfaction and good functioning at work and at home with a minimum of
role conflict
Organization: It is the challenge of creating a supportive company culture where
employees can focus on their jobs while at work

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Definition
Work-life balance is about
effectively managing the
juggling act between paid
work and other activities
that are important to us -
including spending time
with family, taking part in
sport and recreation,
volunteering or undertaking
further study

6. 6
Learn the Skill-Balance

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Evolution of the Concept
 1801s – work–leisure mid
 1960s-70s – WLB was mainly considered an issue for working mothers, trying to balance the demands of their
jobs with raising children
 Late-1970s – United Kingdom
 1980s – Structural changes took place. For example, policies and procedures, along with benefits were
added/changed to support WLB. Maternity leave, EAP’s, flextime, etc. Also in the 80s, men began concerns
around their own work-life
 1986 – The phrase was first used in US
 1990s – Really solidified WLB as an issue that was vital for everyone
 21st Century – More challenging than ever – work load predicts other stressors
Globalization - Technology - 24/7 economy

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The Six Components of Work-Life Balance
Self-Management
Time Management
Stress Management
Change Management
Technology Management
Leisure Management

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Our Life at Work
 Punctuality
 Long Work Hours
 Rotational Shifts
 Business Travel
 Deliverables
 SLAs
 Appraisals
 Customer Relationship
 Productivity
 Quality
 Communication
 Management Demands
 Resources and Need
 Leave/Vacation
 Awards
 Leisure

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Work Life Triangle
Self-care
 Spiritual
 Physical
 Intellectual
 Emotional
 Health
 Wellness
 Exercise
Work
 What we do
Careers
Housework
Relationship
 Personal
 Friendships
 Partners
 Spouses
 Children

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Five Spheres of Life
Work
Spirit
FriendsFamily
Health
Glass
GlassGlass
Glass
Rubber
The Sphere of rubber
will come back when
thrown.
The Sphere of
glass would never
come back when
thrown as it would
break, shatter and
gone.

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Determinants / Impact
 Demands from work, work culture
 Demands from Home, home culture
 Other factors - Work orientation, personality, energy,
age, career stage,

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Balances
 Time balance (time devoted to work and family)
 Involvement balance (involvement in work and family)
 Satisfaction balance (equal satisfaction with work and life

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Symptoms of unbalance
Physical:
 Headaches, upset stomach, sleep disturbances, changes in
appetite, muscle tension, fatigue, heart palpitations
Emotional:
 Depression, anxiety, irritability, difficulty making decisions, angry
outbursts, resentment, feelings of powerlessness
Personal:
 Lost time with friends and loved ones, job burnout, isolation –
stopping social activities, relationship loss/difficulties, self
medicating

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Theories and Models
The Segmentation
Model
Spillover
Model
Compensation
Model
Instrumental
Model
Conflict
Model
Border
Theory

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Myths Vs Realities
 Ideal Work-Life Balance ?
 Work-Life Balance does not mean an equal balance
 There is no perfect, one-size fits all, balance you should be striving for
 Your best individual work-life balance will vary over time
 The Less Hours You Work, The Happier You Will Be
 The Perfect 50/50 Split is Possible Between Work and Life
 What Works for Me Will Also Work for You
 Men have better work life Balance than women
 The Boss Has It Better Than Everyone Else
 That Rest and Personal Time Are Optional
 That Hours Worked Is Indicative of Value Created
 That Work and Life Are Separate Concepts

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Ways Organizations Encourage Work-Life Balance
 Exercise Access
 Childcare Services
 Company Outings
 Allow Flexibility
 Employee Perks/Benefit
Schemes
 EAP’s
 Personalization at work
 Time allocation in work
 Encourage employee
training, workshops, and
education

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Benefits of Improved Work-life Balance
 Improved Productivity of Employees
 Reduced Employee Turnover
 Reduced Absenteeism
 Increased Loyalty

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Let’s Change our Statement
 Rather than saying “I have
a stressful life” change it to
“I will learn how to come
back on track and live a
balanced life and leave no
place for stress”.

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Ten KIM (Keep in Mind) - Tips for Work Life Balance
10. Set SMART Goals:
Plan and Prioritize your goals [S.M.A.R.T  Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Realistic and Timely]
9. Plan a Structure:
Work life balance is all about Flexibility which can be achieved by a Structure in
place as it brings certainty (You know what’s going to happen and why). It also
includes TOOLS / RESOURCES to have flexibility. This includes you being able
to work from variety of places in different times of a day effectively. For this you
would need mobile phones, laptops, remote access and flexible hours are
important.

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Ten KIM (Keep in Mind) - Tips for Work Life Balance (Cont’d)
8. Practice Good Time Management:
It means to do the right things in a right way at the right time. For this you need
to focus on your priorities and focus on those tasks that advance important
goals; those goals that will bring in high pay off results.
Activities that involve too much time should be simplified, delegated or
eliminated. Good time management means focusing on results. It’s important to
aim for excellence but not necessarily for perfection. Cause when you aim for
excellence you might get excellent results but when you aim for perfection you
might never quite get there.

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Ten KIM (Keep in Mind) - Tips for Work Life Balance (Cont’d)
7. Undertake Training in Techniques Required:
There are many books available on effective time management, goal setting,
prioritizing activity, increasing effectiveness, negotiation, relaxation and stress
management. Also, there are providers of these trainings.
6. Take Holidays and Long Weekends:
If you have got good Structure in place and good support system you can find a
time off.

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Ten KIM (Keep in Mind) - Tips for Work Life Balance (Cont’d)
5. Reward Yourself:
They are important because they are
something extra that you have been working
towards. So, after you have set your goals
and achieved them take the reward. You can
choose to reward yourself be it at work or
home. By doing this everything will become
more enjoyable. Take the small and big
rewards. You deserve it.
4. Stay Healthy:
It’s important to eat well,
sleep well and exercise. You
need good office desk, good
chair, good lighting, no fall
over cables and at home it is
just as valid. At home a good
bed is also important as one
spends most of the time
there. Medical check ups are
important. When working
hard any of the therapies and
check ups are cost effective.

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Ten KIM (Keep in Mind) - Tips for Work Life Balance (Cont’d)
3. Be Passionate and Enthusiastic:
Mix with positive people and don’t accept negativity either privately or
professionally. See the Opportunity and not the obstacle. Always try to see the
positive situation of any thing. Look harder look longer and look at it differently.
Two techniques to attain these is 1. Positive self talk and 2. Visualization.
Positive Self-Talking
Instead of telling “you can’t do something”, tell yourself “you can do it” Say these “I am a
great person; I am valuable, I am good at what I do, I am excited about my work, my
goals and my life”.
Visualization includes
Determining your end goal (actually seeing, touching, feeling and experiencing the
emotion of the goal). In this way you feel that you have already achieved your goal as
you are already experiencing it.

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Ten KIM (Keep in Mind) - Tips for Work Life Balance (Cont’d)
2. Love Your Job:
Career development is a journey and
every journey is more enjoyable if you
enjoy every step, enjoy the tasks, the
people, the environment and the
opportunities. You can also undergo
professional training courses and this
will help you enhance knowledge and
understanding and this in return will
increase your control and lastly you
achieve a better balance. So it’s very
important to enjoy what you do or
change what you do.

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Ten KIM (Keep in Mind) - Tips for Work Life Balance (Cont’d)
1. Love Your Life:
Enjoy your journey. Take control of your life. Be true to yourself and never
accept less than you want. Enrich yourself socially, culturally, intellectually,
constantly focus on your personal development achieve your goals and enjoy
the journey.
YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED WHAT IS IMPORTANT
YOU ARE MAKING IT HAPPEN YOU ARE IN
CONTROL YOU ARE ENJOYING EVERY STEP
OF YOUR LIFE

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Outcome of Work Life Balancing Mechanism
 Go for a walk
 Spend time in nature
 Call your good friend
 Sweat out tension with a good
workout
 Write in your journal
 Take a long bath
 Listen to music
 Watch a comedy

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Outcome of Work Life Balancing Mechanism
For all these activities ensure you involve your family or friend to balance
caring about others with caring for ourselves
 Light scented candles
 Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea
 Play with your child
 Get a massage/ pamper yourself
 Curl up with a good look
 Meet friends for get together
 Go shopping with family
 Sit and plan your finance
 Help family in household work

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Case Study
 Marissa Mayer’s job as the CEO of
Yahoo and her pregnancy was
announced simultaneously
 She took a maternity leave of only
2 weeks
 Ban the company’s work-from-home
policy
 Construction of a nursery next to
her office for her four month old son

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Quotes

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Our Personal Life

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Conclusion
 Work/life balance is at best an elusive ideal and at worst a
complete myth. But by making deliberate choices about which
opportunities to pursue and which to decline, rather than simply
reacting to emergencies, leaders can and do engage
meaningfully with work, family, and community.
 Through work life balance the individual will feel relaxed and
organized. Productivity of the person increases which will lead
accomplishing task efficiently as well as to attain grater
successes. It will improve relationship with families and friends.
Better mental and physical health is another benefit. We will be
able to make priorities than sacrificing. Leisure time is another
added plus of work life balance.

33. Thank You