In industrialized countries such as Germany and Europe in general, the work-life balance has steadily deteriorated in recent years, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Many overtime hours, high pressure to succeed, constant accessibility via e-mails and telephone through smartphones, and the possibility to continue working at home by means of the Internet have a negative effect on switching off after work. On the contrary, there are numerous workers who are unable to relax day and night because they cannot clear their heads and continue to worry about work they have not completed or problems at work. Accordingly, this has a negative effect on the psyche, listlessness, the loss of social contacts and even a burn-out can be the result, for example.
What is work-life balance?
Work-life balance stands for a state in which work and private life are in harmony with each other. The term work-life balance comes from the English language and is composed of the words work (= work), life (= life) and balance (= balance). Work-life balance thus describes a state in which working life and professional life should be in harmony. This is immediately the goal of work-life balance: to create a situation in which life is balanced, the areas of work and private life can be seen separately from each other and thus a satisfactory situation can be created for each individual worker.
The work-family conflict as a basis
The work-family conflict mainly refers to the feeling of stress that occurs due to the incompatibility of work and family life. While some already face a difficult task when trying to reconcile their job with their own private life and the pursuit of hobbies, this is a bit more difficult again when the worker has a family of his or her own. Especially in times when double-income households are the order of the day, everyday family life can quickly suffer or fall by the wayside. In light of this potential issue, some couples think twice about whether they actually want to start a family or continue to focus on their careers. Once a family is in place, parents face various problems. This starts with finding suitable childcare for the time when both parents are at work, moves on to financial provision and the worries that come with it, and ends with the possibility that a child’s development could be negatively affected if parents fail to balance work and family life. If mom or dad can’t switch off after work and give their children the attention they need, a child may not feel as comfortable as they should. Possible overtime and the associated absence of parents also result in negative effects. So, in the end, especially in terms of a reasonable family life, it is important for parents to create a balance between work and private life, but in reality this is easier said than done. Meanwhile, families are no longer left to deal with this problem entirely on their own. Many companies offer measures to reconcile the work-life balance – a company ultimately also benefits when employees feel good both professionally and privately.
Goals at work and in private life
Everyone has certain goals that they would like to achieve in their lives. Some of them are those that have been set for a distant future, while others are aimed at significantly improving the quality of life and providing for a life that is satisfying in the long run. Goal setting is also important to provide guidance for oneself. Both in terms of career – for example, a desired promotion – and in private life, goal setting is a good way to give yourself an incentive, but also a limit.
Private values
When it comes to private values, family, friends, hobbies and recreation come first. To be able to achieve these goals, it is important to switch off from work. However, this is problematic for many because money is usually needed to achieve the goals and money comes from work, so some people think that it is hardly possible to separate work and private life.Nevertheless, goals for private life should be set first, possibly even with a time limit, but this should not be set too tightly so as not to run the risk of putting too much pressure on oneself.
Family
Sooner or later, almost everyone thinks about starting a family, “settling down” so to speak. This starts with longing for a happy and functioning partnership. A partner with whom a lot of time can be spent and who may eventually also be ready for the next step – such as marriage. After this foundation stone of family formation, family planning usually begins. The first child of one’s own is brought into the world and from this point on, the focus is on offering the child a secure future. This means providing a secure residence in the form of building or buying a house, creating financial security with savings accounts or shares, being a good role model for the child, providing assistance and encouraging his or her talents. Furthermore, family goals often include providing for one’s parents in old age: either providing for them well or being able to accommodate them in their own home. But the most important thing in family terms is the goal of spending a lot of time together.
Self-development
In addition to family, however, there must also be time for oneself in order to be satisfied. This means setting goals in the hobby area. For example, wanting to achieve a certain athletic feat or signing up for a club or course in the near future. Being able to make time for friends is also an important goal. Social contacts are crucial to being able to create personal balance. Common undertakings such as cinema, disco, bar or going out to eat should accordingly not be neglected.
Recreation
Everyone needs time off. This should be treated absolutely, in order to be afterwards again fully efficient. Here, set goals can be, for example, a long-dreamed-of cruise, a summer vacation abroad, but above all, constant recreations that take place again and again. To be able to allow yourself a few hours for yourself once a week, take a long bath, go to the tanning salon or lie down in the garden with a good book are goals that can be easily achieved, but are also very essential.
The professional goals
If you do not have goals in your job, you will usually not be satisfied and will not be able to perform exceptionally. An employee then simply lives in the day and could soon be frustrated by his daily work routine.
Career advancement
A major goal in career terms is promotion. This depends on several factors and in some cases is not quite as quick or easy to achieve. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to have this goal in mind. It serves as an incentive and provides certainty that the current position does not have to be held for the rest of one’s working life. If this hard-earned goal is achieved, the motivation to set further goals regarding career advancement is all the greater.
Secure salary
Money is essential for survival in today’s society. Although a well-functioning social system ensures that people do not have to live completely without money and the state provides for basic needs in case of doubt, hardly anyone can be satisfied with this. Many people therefore set themselves the highest professional goal of earning a secure and regular income. With just this income, various other worries fall away and at this point private and professional life meet again: whoever receives a secure salary can finance the most important needs of his family and also treat himself to one or the other to increase the quality of life.
Measures in companies
Infographic on the causes and neural reasons for depression. Click image to enlarge. In order to offer employees a way to find a healthy balance between work and private life, many companies now offer various measures. The reasons for this are obvious: when employees have found a healthy work-life balance, they are more balanced at their workplace. On the one hand, this means that they do their work with more motivation and on the other hand – and this is the most important thing for employers – they can perform to the best of their ability.However, if the employee has stress at work, it usually affects his private life as well. He is listless, irritable and possibly lets his private environment feel this. If the private life then no longer runs on a regular course, this in turn also affects the work and the employee finds himself in a vicious circle. In the long run, this means that the employee is not only unmotivated but, in the worst case, falls ill as a result of this stressful situation. Depression or burnout can be the result. To prevent this, the employer can also take action by offering appropriate measures for a good work-life balance and thereby creating a good working atmosphere. The employer’s reputation also benefits from such measures, as it is seen as an attractive employer and can accordingly bind its employees better to the company, but also has a greater choice in the competition for a vacant position.
Fit at work
Not only motivation and good mood is important in the workplace, but also your own fitness. Those who are fit have several advantages:
- Increased resistance to diseases
The annual flu epidemic is a good example of this. Those who are fit are less likely to get sick and can be resistant to the threat of a cold. If this applies to a large part of the workforce, the employee can expect a significantly lower absenteeism due to sick leave.
- More energy
Fit workers are more resilient because they have more energy. They also do not get distracted from work as easily as those who do not have a certain level of fitness and the stamina that comes with it. However, a certain level of fitness can also influence other areas such as one’s self-confidence, a better outlook on life and the ability to work in a team. This needed fitness doesn’t have to come from the employee alone, by exercising in their free time. Companies can also support their employees in this regard by offering sports and wellness programs.
- This starts with healthy eating. Instead of the usual canteen food with chips and Co. can be changed to health-conscious nutrition. If there is no canteen, it offers to set up a snack box or vending machine with appropriately healthy food.
- Furthermore, it is a good idea to promote sports activities, by forming a company team, for example -which, on top of everything, promotes a sense of togetherness – or by paying for membership in a fitness center in whole or in part by the company.
- Not to be underestimated is also the use of the appropriate furniture, because the right office chairs, desks or monitors can already bring a significant improvement in working conditions. Different guidelines such as the Bildschirmarbeitsverordnung, which is explained in more detail at the following address, serve as a benchmark. Above all, ergonomics is a crucial aspect, since so, for example, back pain or concentration problems can be better contained – currently, however, the implementation of these and other measures in German offices is still a rarity.
- Also well received are seminars that may go into the employer’s free time, but have a high benefit such as a smoking cessation seminar. This benefits both employee and employer: the employee can get rid of an annoying vice, the employer does not have to worry about smoking breaks.
Flexibility in time and place
A very important measure on the way to a satisfying workplace is that of regulating working hours. Especially employees with families often have problems reconciling work and family time – which in turn degenerates into stress. This is where the employer can provide a remedy in the form of various working time models: Flexitime, part-time, shift work or even job sharing – two or three part-time employees share a position and can regulate their working hours among themselves – are good offers here. Above all, it is important that the employer has confidence in the employee, but that the employee also appreciates this confidence and fulfills his or her obligations properly despite flexitime, for example. Another sign of trust on the part of the employer is flexibility in terms of the place of work.Some activities could be done from home. Here, a possible measure is that the employee does not have to come to the office every day, but can also work at home in the home office for a few days.
“Holistic management” of a company
In the past it was like this and even today it is still commonplace in many companies: mechanical leadership. In the meantime, however, it has gone out of fashion and many companies realize that holistic leadership is much more effective. With mechanical leadership, employees are guided by a manager to a specific goal or are shown one. With holistic leadership, on the other hand, it is important that actions and reactions of the sub-areas (for example, warehouse, logistics, accounting, etc.) are included in decisions and help to achieve the desired goals. Communication is an important tool here, helping the company’s organization to lead on the one hand, and promoting self-organization on the other. Accordingly, although employees are still subordinate to a manager, they actively contribute to the business based on their opinions and suggestions and are thus part of the decision-making process. In this way, employees have the opportunity to be effectively involved in what is happening and feel that they are a stronger and more important part of major decisions.
Flexible parental leave
Both mothers and fathers have a right to parental leave from the birth of the child. One parent or both together can take up to three years of parental leave. Legally, the most important things are regulated when it comes to parental leave, but that does not mean that these regulations are also the most favorable for parents. An employer who has the welfare of his employee at heart can approach his employee at this point and offer him flexible parental leave. This means, for example, that the father or mother does not necessarily have to take the three years of parental leave in one piece after the birth, but can also take the last 12 months during the first school year. However, legislation has taken a step towards parents at this point anyway: from July 1, 2015, the last 24 months will be available flexibly and employer approval will no longer be required. More precisely, the topic is taken up again here. The return to work after the end of parental leave is also regulated by law, but not all parents actually want to spend the entire parental leave only at home. Here, the employer can again accommodate his employee and offer him a part-time position with, for example, 15 hours per week.
Practical examples
That a good work-life balance has advantages for both the employer and the employee is clear. But there are still companies that do not seem to attach any importance to ensuring that their employees are balanced and satisfied, including large companies. Others, however, have very much recognized the importance of a healthy work-life balance and offer appropriate measures. The following examples represent an insight into the various measures and their implementation:
| German railroad |
Deutsche Bahn says it attaches great importance above all to reconciling work and family life. For this reason, it offers its employees flexible working hours and teleworking. The company also offers a “family service” that arranges childcare throughout Germany and has set up its own company kindergarten in Duisburg. |
| Federal Employment Agency | The Federal Employment Agency has also noticed how important work-life balance is for employees and has, for example, offered the workshop “Work-Life Balance – Easier Said Than Done” for employed persons, job seekers and those returning to work. Furthermore, the BA has developed a three-phase concept for returning to work after parental leave. Brochures on the subject are also available from the Federal Employment Agency. |
| Tchibo GmbH | Tchibo GmbH sees itself as a family business and attaches great importance to work-life balance. Appropriate health promotions such as ergonomic workstations, a company leisure center and a range of balanced meals in the employee restaurant are available.Daycare places are available in various facilities, a nationwide family service that takes care of worries and problems and even its own Kidz Playground vacation program is offered in Hamburg. The company is open to part-time, home office and job sharing. |
The German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth has compiled further practical examples of successful implementation of the work-life balance in a guide.
Impending dangers
If a work-life balance is not given, the employee is threatened by various dangers as described above. Imbalance, lack of motivation and listlessness are the first signs, which over time can also develop into deeper psychological problems, such as insomnia, depression and burnout.
Burnout Syndrome
Burnout syndrome, in particular, is a serious problem. The affected person feels completely burned out and is emotionally completely exhausted. This condition is often not easy to get rid of with a short rest, many affected people sink downright in a swamp of depression and inner emptiness, so that it can even come to suicidal thoughts.
The OECD Better-Life Index – Which countries have a good work-life balance?
The OECD Better-Life Index updates its ranking regarding work-life balance on a daily basis. While the statistics are not representative, as visitors to the site are solely responsible for submitting their data, a vivid trend emerges in some countries. At the top of the list of countries with a good work-life balance is Denmark. The OECD average in terms of hours spent on leisure activities, eating and sleeping is 15 hours. In Denmark, however, the figure is 16.1 hours. Spain is in second place with 16 hours, followed by Belgium with 15.7 hours. Germany is in seventh place with 15.3 hours and is still above average. Bringing up the rear, by the way, are Mexico and, far behind, Turkey.