Work-life balance

July 22, 2019

3 min read

Everyone needs to find their balance, and that's something we can no longer discuss (under penalty of being criticized for trends, theories and others which we don't even know... that is the social environment). If everyone is looking for it or is aware of its importance is something that can raise doubts.

At Servdebt we try to get to know our people, so we choose to be where all the roads lead, facilitating movements. For those who are agitated we promote weekly football games, knowing that after the game they can relax with the massage therapist or keep in shape with the nutritionist, take care of themselves with the manicure or with the doctor who visits us (regardless of health insurance, which rests us when we need to resort to specialized services). If this works for some, for others it is the basket of fresh products received every week, directly from the producer, that helps them to manage their time better. Also, for others, the most important thing is to have the gym and hairdresser by the door and ask the pharmacy to bring the medicines (with discount) or even have someone to run errands throughout the day.

Almost everyone feels relaxed while playing foosball, PlayStation or Arcade Machine, before or after a meal or a snack in the Marmita Point, which has everything we need to eat well.

Finally, everyone has their birthday to do whatever they want, and those who have children do not miss their birthdays at school since the afternoon off allows them to be with their kids.

Could we do more? Sure! Shall we enjoy and value what we already have? Absolutely. Knowing that the management of personal balance begins and ends in each one of us.

Keeping the balance, in a time that everything "screams" distraction, mutability, disposability and unavailability to (at least) think, seems like a contradiction, and to consider that organizations are responsible for maintaining the balance in the lives of their employees may seem a burden too heavy to carry, besides to be a mission (almost) impossible to carry out. But as the world continues to rush and "compel us" to be available for this race against time, doing nothing is not an option.

Between the demands of personal life and the way we (un)organize, can companies, where we exist as professionals, be a stabilizing factor? If the professional activity could be the fastest part of life a few decades ago, today everything contributes to the existence of a frenetic pace of life in its entirety and we are now asking organizations to promote the balance in the lives of its employees. Yes, to what in the last century was the focus of tension is now asked to become the support for well-being.

So, what? Are we all going to be flexible and work from home or from the garden, when and how we want? Maybe this works for some and/or for a few tasks, but it's not the only option. And will it work for everyone?

There are several studies and opinions, and some of them even show that after all this flexibility is not the wish of the majority and much less of the millennials.

If each one of us is unique, a lot of our wishes and necessities will also be. So, when organizations think about work-life balance they should consider the diversity of their employees.

To provide different options will be the motto for that each can benefit from what they want, and when they want, which will help the employees to manage their time better, reducing levels of anxiety, fostering the emotional connection to the organization and increasing the degree of satisfaction. All this help the personal balance in the current falsework/personal life dichotomy.

Organizations can contribute to facilitating the day-to-day management and fostering the balance of their employees, but each one will have to do his part too, choosing what he values ​​and organizing more to achieve it.

Paula Campino

Human Resources Director