Work-life balance: Is it possible?
For many young people, achieving the right balance between work and leisure is very important. But juggling so many factors like career, money, health, family and friends isn't always easy.
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00:00 Work-life balance. Work or life?
00:04 For young people of Generation Z,
00:07 work-life balance is especially important. Harmoniously balancing work and
00:11 private life,
00:12 having enough time for family, friends, leisure and health,
00:16 and for self-actualisation. Employers have to offer something to attract them
00:21 as applicants.
00:22 Flexible working hours, working from home,
00:25 a four-day week, or even so-called new work from a beautiful beach.
00:32 Numerous studies suggest companies would also benefit from this.
00:36 Employees would be more motivated, more productive,
00:39 identify more with the company and have less absenteeism
00:43 and fewer sick days.
00:48 But can there be such a thing as perfect work-life balance?
00:52 Doing excellent work, being super healthy,
00:55 maintaining great friendships, having an exceptional marriage,
00:59 and being the best mum or dad in the world
01:02 all at once.
01:06 David Sedaris' four burners theory says that it can't be done.
01:10 Take a gas stove. Each burner represents
01:13 a primary aspect of life. Family, friends, health or work.
01:18 But the fuel supply is limited. If all of the burners go at the same rate, you have
01:23 a balanced life,
01:24 but nothing is especially great.
01:28 If you turn up, say, the family burner, you must turn down the other burners.
01:34 Turn it up to a hundred percent and the other burners go out.
01:40 The theory now is to be successful you have to turn off at least one burner.
01:45 To be very successful, even two.
01:49 And anyway, instead of work-life balance, more and more people are now talking
01:53 about work-life blending.
01:55 The merging of work and life. No longer two separate spheres.
01:59 It could look like this. Immediately after a video conference on a Sunday
02:04 while on vacation,
02:06 hitting the waves. But that's another topic.
02:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]