By: David Lavenson
Synergy. Value-driven. Gamification. Work-life balance.
For many young professionals, these terms fall into the category of ‘buzzwords’ that seem to be thrown around all too often; terms we use when we’re trying to impress a co-worker or friend, but not sure about maybe what they really mean. As YPs slowly begin to increase their presence, population, and influence in workplaces, the concept of work-life balance switches from ‘buzzword’ to ‘what does it mean to me?’ Good news - it’s never too late to start reevaluating your work-life balance!
Work-life balance should be important to all of us (followed by a collective groan of 50% of the readers). How you define that term is really the most important part. There’s no standard for work-life balance; no set amount of hours you should or shouldn’t be spending at work (or happy hour, although you’re probably limited by closing time). As a young professional in the digital age, one can easily get sucked into work 24/7 with smartphones, tablets, and working at home; and just the opposite can be done with interests outside of work (think social media). Before you let work come home with you, it’s best to do a little screening and prioritize your values in work and in life.
“Work-life balance is difficult because I know that working extra now will lay the foundation for future success. I lean towards working extra now, viewing it as an investment in the future.”
This type of attitude is quite common amongst YPs. Many believe that if we work hard now, we’ll have more flexibility in the future as we advance our careers, which we can then translate into more time for families and friends. Be careful with this approach. Investing yourself completely in work can let managers and supervisors know you are a work horse, and this type of reputation may not be shed easily. Life simply doesn’t ‘get easier’ when you become a manager or increase responsibilities – in fact work may be even more demanding than what it is now. Here are some important questions to ask yourself about work and how you value your time. What role do you want work to play in your life? Is your work something you are passionate about (if the answer is no you probably need to read a different article)? Are you willing to work overtime, late nights, shift work, rotations? What are your career goals, and where do you see yourself in 5, 10, or 20 years? For some of you this line of thinking/questioning may seem like a painful déjà vu from job interviews, but these are questions that you should constantly be asking and re-asking yourself. The way you approach work-life balance can vary drastically based on your answers. For instance, someone who wants to become a Fortune 500 CEO in 20 years will need to have a different approach to their work life as opposed to someone who wants to be in the same position in 20 years.
“Right now, my job comes first because I’m striving for corporate management. I don’t have time for a family or friends.”
This type of answer is a little less common, especially amongst engineers. The more ambitious and vertically oriented your career goals are, the more you will have to sacrifice your personal life and devote an increasing percentage to work. I hate to break the news to those unaware, but most CEOs weren’t clocking in at 8:00AM and promptly leaving at 5:00PM five days a week. That’s not to say that this kind of well-defined work & life boundary isn’t admirable – it just means that you may have to sacrifice dreams of being CEO of Google.
“My family and friends must always come first.”
On the other side of the spectrum of work-life balance, there will be many of us who value life outside of work above all else, and know that this will never change. However, for many of you this may not be your answer. There are a different set of questions to consider when evaluating your interests and passions outside of work. What are your current interests and hobbies outside of work? Do you have a strong relationship with a significant other, family, or friends? Do you have children, or plan to in the future? Do you have pets? These questions sound a bit more like what would be overheard at a speed dating event. The goal is to understand what is in your life outside of work, and where you value these next to your career goals. Valuing family above all else is admirable, but is often challenging to maintain in a competitive and/or stressful work environment. This often leads people with strong beliefs about family life to consider career changes to accommodate their desires. Be advised that these usually aren’t easy decisions because they can often involve significant financial/budgetary changes.
Ultimately, your approach to developing an idea of work-life balance will probably mimic an Eulerian approach (I know, engineer humor is painful). Thankfully life is not as complex as an ordinary differential equation (at least for some of us). Your personal views on work-life balance will undergo several iterations over the course of your career, likely with multiple equilibria based on the circumstances at that time.
Hopefully this article has prompted you to begin an introspective analysis if you hadn’t already. The bottom-line is that work-life balance is always about establishing an equilibrium. It’s balancing your goals and plans for both sides and it usually never has a standard operating procedure. It’s up to you to spend the time thinking about what is important to you now and in the future, and the answer is usually a combination of work and life. When asked “Which is more important in your career now – work or life?” multiple YPs all responded similarly: both.
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