Work-life balance has evolved from being a luxury in the past century to being a necessity these days. While maintaining a healthy work-life balance is a priority for MENA professionals, they seem to be struggling to achieve this aim. While a large part of the responsibility lies with employers, employees should also take proactive steps to maintain a good work-life balance. These include planning one’s week, embracing technology, learning to say NO, being aware of company policies and maintaining good relationships at work, and staying healthy and fit.

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6 Steps to Maintaining a Good Work-Life
Balance in the MENA Region
 Work-life balance has evolved from being a luxury in the past century to being a
necessity these days.
 While maintaining a healthy work-life balance is a priority for MENA professionals,
they seem to be struggling to achieve this aim.
 While a large part of the responsibility lies with employers, employees should also
take proactive steps to maintain a good work-life balance.
 These include planning one’s week, embracing technology, learning to say NO, being
aware of company policies and maintaining good relationships at work, and staying
healthy and fit.
Worldwide, work-life balance has evolved from being a luxury in the past century to being a
necessity these days, and the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region is no exception to
this trend. As per the 2013 Employee Motivation survey conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov,
work-life balance emerged as one of the key factors affecting employee motivation in the

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region, as 98% of the respondents claimed that achieving a good work-life balance was
important for them to remain motivated at work.
While maintaining a healthy work-life balance is a priority, professionals in the region seem
to be struggling to achieve this aim. This is reflected in the Work: life Balance Index conducted
by Regus, where the Middle East scored 117, falling three points behind the global average of
120. The Bayt survey, on the other hand, showed that as nearly one-fourth of the employees in
the region always work overtime or take work home, while another two-thirds do so
occasionally.
A large part of the responsibility towards ensuring work-life balance rests with employers.
Majority of the employees (especially the tech savvy younger workforce) felt that employers
should offer more flexibility and allow them to work in ways that suit them, as opposed to age-old
ways which respect ‘presenteeism’ at work. This includes flexible working hours, job-sharing
arrangements, occasional distance working arrangements, sabbatical leave allowances, child-care
units, etc. That said, the Bayt survey pointed that 58% employees felt that they receive
some level of support from their employers to achieve a good work-life balance. Therefore, it
seems that organizations in the region are aware of employee needs, and are developing and
implementing HR policies to act on the above suggestions.
However, employees have an equally vital role to ensure that they are able to maintain the
right equilibrium between their personal and professional lives. Work-life balance is for
employees, and therefore we recommend that they address this issue proactively by taking the
below steps to reduce stress levels, maintain productivity, & avoid burn-outs at work; all while
leading an enriching personal life.
1. Plan your working AND NON-WORKING week, and make sure you budget-in some “me
time”: Yes, like with most things in life, the starting point is planning your week/day in

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advance and focusing on the important things, both at work and at home. Make sure that
you are focused and productive during work hours, so that you do not have to work
overtime or take work home with you. This is especially applicable for women, who have
more domestic responsibilities to take care of once they get back home, as opposed to
their male colleagues.
Individuals should look beyond their responsibilities as a professional, parent, child, etc. and
budget-in some “me time”, i.e., time for activities which you enjoy doing and which help you
unwind. This could include listening to music, painting, hanging out with friends, a walk on the
beach, etc. You can choose your activity and its periodicity (daily/weekend/other), but make
sure to make it a part of your routine so that you get to recharge your batteries and do not feel
drained.
1. Be aware of your company policies: More often than not, companies are more flexible
than employees think, and are willing to be flexible, especially to strong performers. This
could include options like work-from-home, rotational shifts, extended maternity leaves
(for women) or even a sabbatical from work. So, make sure that you understand your
company policies well and are availing the flexibility that you are entitled to.
1. Learn to say NO at work and at home: A key element to achieving work-life balance is to
prioritize your tasks and learn when to say NO. This could be at work (filling-in too often for
a colleague or being part of a new initiative just for the sake of it) or at home (neighbour-related
tasks). Saying no is not easy, but it allows you to stay focused on things that are
most important to you and which you like doing more. Remember you are not a superman
or superwoman so you can’t do everything!
1. Embrace telecommuting for work & use of technology at home: Technology is perhaps
the single most potent tool for improving efficiency and work-life balance. So, check with
your employer about the option to telecommute/work-from-home. Also, embrace
technology more often for domestic tasks like paying bills, etc. Trivial as these may
seem, such small steps ultimately save you precious time and energy.

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1. Maintain transparent communication with your boss and organization: It is important to
have a good working relationship with your boss so that you can share your work-life
related concerns. Make sure that the relationship is cordial yet professional, and that you
are meeting or exceeding your organization’s expectations, in order to expect flexibility
from them.
1. Focus on staying healthy and fit: Nothing beats a healthy body and mind, so make sure
that you are taking the right diet and are getting adequate sleep to rejuvenate yourself. Try
to include some exercise in your routine as well.
Ultimately, each one of us needs to decide what works best for us, while keeping our families
and organizations in mind (no one lives in a vacuum!). Therefore, it is important to create your
own methodology, and keep changing it with time as the situations in your personal and
professional lives evolve.
The article was originally published at: Arab Business Review
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