The document discusses the importance of work-life balance for employees, emphasizing its impact on organizational success and employee satisfaction. It explores how different generations, including Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials, perceive work-life balance and offers strategies for achieving it. Key recommendations include letting go of perfectionism, unplugging from work technology, exercising, and making small lifestyle changes to enhance overall well-being.

1. INSTITUTE OF
SOCIAL SCIENCES
DR. BHIMRAO AMBEDKAR UNIVERSITY
AGRA
Assignment
Submit To Submitted By
R K Bharti Prakash
Senior Lecturer Serial No. 22
Department of Social Master of Social
Work Work

2. Work -Life Balance
Professional Personal
Life Life
Employee

3. CONCEPT
The workplace is characterised by continuous change and
growing diversity. Organisational success and Employee
satisfaction depend on our capacity to manage this change
and to engage within this diversity. Work-life balance
arrangements are an important element in meeting this
challenge. The development of Human Resource
Management as a function within Organisations has played a
role in the promotion of work-life balance initiatives.
Emphasis on concepts such as ‘best practice’ and ‘Employer
of choice’ has encouraged firms to consider flexible work
practices. In addition, emphasis in recent years on knowledge
management and human capital as critical to competitiveness
adds further weight to staff retention arguments for the
development of work-life balance initiatives.

4. Meaning
• Work–life balance is a term commonly used to describe the
balance that a working individual needs between time
allocated for work and other aspects of life. Areas of life
other than work–life can include personal interests, family
and social or leisure activities.
• Work Life Balance is defined as a means of flexible working
or flexible leave available to employees. These
arrangements may be in addition to statutory entitlements
and are generally granted to the employee to accommodate
their needs outside of the workplace. They may be to
facilitate family commitments; study or health.
• Work-life balance is an important aspect of a healthy work
environment. Maintaining work-life balance helps reduce
stress and helps prevent burnout in the workplace.
•

5. Evolution
Over the years, the knowledge and approach of work-life balance has
been constantly evolving, and it might be helpful for employers to
identify the difference in opinions among the Baby Boomers,
Generation X and Millennials. The term “work-life balance” has yet to
lose its buzz in the last few years.
• Baby Boomers and Work-Life Balance
Born between 1945 and 1960, around the time of World War II, this
generation was exposed to a lot of hardships at a very young age.
Making a decent living was no small task, and in turn, this generation
craved stability in the workplace and valued the opportunity for
employment. Because of this, work-life balance wasn’t a main priority or
concern. Baby Boomers tended to stay at companies for longer periods
of time than following generations. Many of these employees are
currently in senior or director level positions that require a high degree

6. • Gen X and Work-Life Balance
As the children of the Baby Boomers, Gen Xers (typically born around the years of
1961 and 1980) grew up witnessing the long hours and poor work-life balance of their
parents. Many Gen Xers were exposed to the effect such a relationship with work had
on the family unit. As a result, this generation put more emphasis on creating work-life
balance in their own lives. Many of these employees prioritize spending time with
their family and are more likely to utilize their PTO than the Baby Boomers. Because of
this, Gen Xers tend to think of work-life balance as a necessary prerequisite to a
company of employment. They look for perks such as telecommuting, extended
maternity/paternity time and adequate vacation time.
• Millennials and Work-Life Balance
Being a millennial comes with its fair share of stereotypes. Generally, for those born
between the years of 1981 and 2000, work ethic is thought to be secondary, or ‘just a
part of life.’ But for the generation born into the harshest student loan burden in
history, finding stable employment to pay for the higher education of both themselves
and their children – as well as soaring housing costs – remains amongst the highest of
priorities. With this generation growing to over a quarter of the U.S. population and in
their prime-working years, figuring out what attracts millennials remains one of the
biggest HR decisions at any major company.

7. Strategies of work life balance:
Work-life balance means something different to every
individual, but here health and career experts share tips to
help you find the balance that’s right for you.
1. Let go of perfectionism
2. Unplug
3. Exercise and meditate
4. Limit time-wasting activities and people
5. Change the structure of your life
6. Start small. Build from there.

8. • Let go of perfectionism
A lot of overachievers develop perfectionist tendencies at a young age
when demands on their time are limited to school, hobbies and maybe
an after-school job. It’s easier to maintain that perfectionist habit as a
kid, but as you grow up, life gets more complicated. executive coach
Marilyn Puder-York, PhD, who wrote The Office Survival Guide says “As
life gets more expanded it’s very hard, both neurologically and
psychologically, to keep that habit of perfection going,” she says, adding
that the healthier option is to strive not for perfection, but for
excellence.
• Unplug
From telecommuting to programs that make work easier, technology has
helped our lives in many ways. But it has also created expectations of
constant accessibility. The work day never seems to end. “There are
times when you should just shut your phone off and enjoy the
moment,” says Robert Brooks, a professor of psychology at Harvard
Medical School and co-author of The Power of Resilience: Achieving

9. • Exercise and meditate
Even when we’re busy, we make time for the crucial things in life. We
eat. We go to the bathroom. We sleep. And yet one of our most crucial
needs - exercise - is often the first thing to go when our calendars fill up.
Exercise is an effective stress reducer. It pumps feel-good endorphins
through your body. It helps lift your mood and can even serve a one-two
punch by also putting you in a meditative state, according to the Mayo
Clinic.
• Limit time-wasting activities and
people
First, identify what’s most important in your life. This list will differ for
everyone, so make sure it truly reflects your priorities, not someone
else’s. Next, draw firm boundaries so you can devote quality time to
these high-priority people and activities. From there, it will be easier to
determine what needs to be trimmed from the schedule.

10. • Change the structure of your life
Sometimes we fall into a rut and assume our habits are set in stone.
Take a birds-eye view of your life and ask yourself: What changes could
make life easier?
“Find out what you can do to let go in ways that benefit other people by
giving them opportunities to grow,” Stewart Freidman, a management
professor at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and author
of Leading the Life You Want: Skills for Integrating Work and Life.
• Start small. Build from there.
“If you’re trying to change a certain script in your life, start small and
experience some success. Build from there,” says Brooks.
When one client, who was always absent from his family dinners, vowed
to begin attending the meals nightly, Brooks urged him to start smaller.
So he began with one evening a week. Eventually, he worked his way up
to two to three dinners per week.

11. Impact of Work Life
Balance
• Health Improvement
• Productivity
• Employee Engagement
• Happiness at Work
• Employee Performance