Previously I've written that I disagree with the term of work/life balance; work should naturally be part of our lives and the semantic suggestion that life doesn't begin until after work is inaccurate and non-productive. Yesterday, this link featuring Soledad O'Brien appeared in the Huffington Post and she sums it up beautifully.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/soledad-obrien-work-life-balance_us_56ccb224e4b0ec6725e42911
It is unrealistic to separate work and life. Is the time we spend at work a major portion of our lives? Absolutely. Consider the time spent apart from a traditional work environment (time spent at home) are we still working (doing laundry, helping the kids with homework, gardening)? Yes. Work is inextricably linked with life.
The disfavor we do ourselves by suggesting otherwise is to deprive ourselves of both a richer and fuller work experience and fully dimensional lives. We should not actively label work as drudgery - it should bring purpose to our lives (and if it truly doesn't, then we need to find different work). In our society, we tend to denigrate all work as something that we just have to trudge through so that we can afford the things that we want and need. We should be more accepting of work as an integral part of our lives; that working is more than a necessity, it is a purpose. It is our personal contribution to a better and thriving society.
And as a note to those who have the responsibility of leading a workforce, it is part of our job to ensure that work does have purpose and that it does enrich the lives of the team members. And whether team leader or member of the team, we should strive to make our work as enjoyable as possible.
Just as eating and breathing and playing is integrated into our lives, work should be as well. We should enjoy it as much.
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