A primary focus of Americans, Work-Life balance is how we balance out the needs of our family and personal life with those of our careers and businesses. Successful “type A” people often struggle to “turn off” work, resulting in burnout and stress from poor Work-Life balance.
Often seen as an issue for older workers, the millennial generation and Zoomer Generation have embraced work-life balance from the beginning of their careers. Unlike prior generations that would often leave vacation days utilized, younger professionals plan vacations and trips throughout their career.
With careers getting longer and people living longer, it is no longer plausible to push off the needs of your life until “after the kids leave” or retirement, making the need to embrace your personal and professional needs throughout your career.
While often seen as a woman’s issue, younger couples are far more likely to have more balanced financial and home life obligations. Indeed, half of women now earn more than their partner, so maintaining the needs of the home life and business life now fall equally on both sexes. Without the gendered connotation, matters of work-life balance can revolve around scheduling, technology, remote work, and flexibility to get work done at different times and locations.
Bette’s Business Book Club often features contemporary business authors who integrate matters of life balance throughout their career. While classic business texts ignore your hours outside the office, our constant communication modern lifestyle requires that we address this to prevent burnout and maximize our likelihood of success.
