Multi Disciplinary research bulletin: Volume 01, Issue 02 | November 2022 | ISSN 2583-5122 (online)

Evolution in Work Life Balance Post Covid 19

Working from home or hybrid working or remote working or the 4-day working week are all terms which organizations have typically clustered into a key component and thus depict the concept of ‘flexible’ working, but they do not actually represent the same thing. Organizations need to bring the time to fully comprehend what flexible working really means and take action to facilitate the employee’s needs accordingly. The concept of flexible working gives employees the power to plan their own working plan. If an employee is starting their work an hour earlier and finishing an hour earlier irrespective of their scheduled time calendar, simply means that they can spend their down-time doing what they love and willing to spend their time.

A recent report on the poll which was conducted by EY in 2021 found that every 9 out of 10 employees want flexibility in the work location and work timings. The pandemic of COVID 2019 has cemented the way for new ways of working, so it’s now up to leadership and top management to gather this new demand for flexibility and conscious control of time for their employee’s satisfaction. The concept of internal shifts needs to be made for external shifts to take place and to be successful. Leaders need to focus on constructing the accurate personal practices that will work out for them, based on who they really are. These perceptions can then be applied at work, home, with teams and with organizations.

One of the benefits of remote working has been the capacity, at least to some level, to establish and shield the employee’s personal boundaries. The pandemic gave a lot of employees scope to consider and re-evaluate what they actually wanted out of their work situations. Nowadays, business researchers and psychologists believe that putting a boundary around employee’s personal life or information, can be done successfully and without causing infraction. It’s an obvious stubbornness but it’s totally acceptable to be picky whether an employee want to let another employee/employer or any other individual in the organization in their personal space and personal life. Work life balance also provide safeguard from the humiliation of the question asked by other team members/colleagues about the employee’s job or pay grade, interviewer, if any reference received within the organization, joining bonus and so on. Time is evolving, we are living into a world that is no longer governed by long restless working hours, corporate career reputation, and a life flourished through acquisitiveness. The new age will tend to see a greater fraction of workers looking to retire ahead the expected age of 60, in comparison of late 19^th century.

Work-life balance is essential as working remotely due to COVID-19 has not replaced this statement. Employees must take initiative to make work-life balance a precedence in their life cycles. Employees should have open communication with their boss and colleagues and be truthful about how working remotely has impacted their professional and personal life. Today is the day to salvage your work-life balance for your own life.