Is Work- Life Balance Plausible?

The overwhelmingly majority of Millennials believe and make crucial decisions based on the concept of work-life balance, which is proper prioritizing between work and lifestyle. What is more is that Millennials are more willing to earn less in order to have more flexibility and freedom/ preserve the work-life balance , as a result many are quick to move on from office jobs, which tend to be rigid and demanding. A study done by Fidelity Investments, which further reinforces the notion that Millennials highly regard work-life balance as an important factor in their careers, has found that a large portion of Millennials would rather take a pay cut, if it meant they could have a better work life balance.

On the one hand, there are many flaws and drawbacks from adopting Work-Life Balance. Firstly, it is important to note that the current job market is not suited to meet the high demands of Millennials, as a result many of them struggle to find employment within the first few months after graduating. Moreover, lack of employment could mentally strain them and their parents especially due to the massive amount of college tuition debt that they have to pay back and studies have indicated that the average debt in the United States is around $35,000.

Secondly, due to the increasing competition of a global and technologically advanced economy, companies in this modern era demand more productivity from their employees. More productivity means that employees have to produce/perform more efficiently and effectively, which requires a substantial amount of energy and willpower. As a result, many employees spend their off days on resting and replenishing their energy rather than maintaining their lifestyle, which includes traveling, culinary adventures, and reading.

In spite of these arguments, there are also many benefits and advantage gained by implementing the concept of work-life balance. Firstly, People who manage to balance work and their lifestyle tend to be in a positive mood. Research done by Dr. Daniel Sgroi indicates that employees that are in a positive mood perform 12% better than the control group, which means that a positive mood positively effects productivity. 

Being in a positive mood not only increases productivity, but also scientific evidences suggests that it prolongs lifespan and reduces the risk of diseases and implications such as high blood pressure, obesity, and heart attacks. Secondly, an increasing amount of companies offer work – life balance to its employees. One prominent example is google, where the offices are designed to be comfortable whilst still highly functional and the employees entitled to many benefits such as unlimited paid sick leave after one year of full employment and flexible working hours.  

In conclusion, work-life balance benefits not only the individual but also the companies and as result both sides must work together to reap those benefits and make work-life balance plausible.