What does work-life balance mean?

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “work-life balance”?

Is it something like a 50-50 split between being at work and engaging in your personal life? Successfully straddling the line between the both of them? Being able to “have it all”?

Having work-life balance means you’re fulfilled by both your professional life and your personal life. One doesn’t seep into the other, and you’re able to switch between them easily when it’s time to do so.

Unfortunately, work-life balance is still elusive for many.

48% of Americans consider themselves workaholics, which consists of:

• Worrying about work on a day off

• Checking emails first thing after waking up (58% of survey respondents said they do this)

• Feeling too busy to take a vacation

All this is even more worrying when we consider the fact that for 28% of Americans, the obsession with work isn’t just the drive to succeed — it’s a financial necessity.

So, after taking this into account, a more accurate definition of work-life balance would be to ensure that your world of work remains separate from that of your personal life. The goal is to ensure one (work) doesn’t dominate the other (life).

That means not thinking about work when you’re off the clock and not taking it home with you, either. It also means not feeling guilty when you need to take a leave of absence and enjoying yourself while you’re on vacation.

Why is work-life balance important?

Here’s what happens when employees don’t have a healthy work-life balance:

Research shows that 63% of managers and 59% of employees have considered quitting their jobs due to poor work-life balance and burnout. Also, just 37% of women workers rated their ability to switch off from work as “good” in 2023, compared with 45% in 2022.

In the same study, 97% of women said that taking advantage of flexible work options would affect how likely they were to be promoted. Another survey found that 46% of Gen Zs and 45% of millennials said they feel burnt out from the intensity of their workloads.