Work-life balance, especially in the era of remote working, remains a topic of discussion whether it is feasible or not. Mr. Sharanabasappa Jade, Head of Human Resources, Emkay Global Financial Services Ltd., shares with PEAKLIFE whether work-life balance is simply a myth or can be maintained in today’s time.
I believe that we should look at this topic not just from the present times, but look back on human evolution and complement that with the human success or failures throughout historical facts.
Human endeavour has been to pursue the unknown and strive to improve life where:
● We have learned after losing so many countless lives and time that war is not a solution for human wellbeing.
● We have seen civilisations blossom and thrive till date.
● Concept of Democracy embraced by progressive societies.
● Dark phases of Industrialisation are fading away.
● Trade across the globe thriving beyond their own boundaries of country or region.
● We are embracing diversity like never before.
● A new realisation of the power of women be it in economy or politics.
All this is possible only because we have continuously evolved and have accepted what would work for us today and for our generations tomorrow.
Having said that, I feel that work-life balance is a reality. Especially if we look at it from the above mentioned progressive thought process. Also, If we look at it from nature’s point of view, till the roots are strengthened, we cannot expect the tree to blossom and give fruits. Similarly, till the time employees feel and perceive that they are having the time for self, family and social commitments, we may not expect them to be fully involved or engaged with the organisation and its progress.
In a service industry, it’s important that we are available to our customers and their needs but without causing imbalance to our Internal Customer – “Employee”. I feel we can co-exist with the thought of “Customer-First/Customer Success and Employee Well-Being” together. It may look difficult or impossible, but with continuous efforts and thinking from the other’s point of view, we may be able to achieve it.
1. We all have adopted so well to the Work From Home/Office/Blended and made decent profits for the Organisations; this only shows the innate quality of adaptability in Human Nature, albeit it has come with cost of its own to the Employees (mental illness/burnout/boundary less or time less working) and for the Organisations (additional cost of operations over and above the fixed costs, probably lower productivity and exodus of people). We just need to be agile and mould as per the need of the situation from both Employee and Employer point of view to progress further.
2. In the last 2 years, some of us have lost dear ones and have undergone a whole lot of stress and complications. To counter that, we all need to just offer compassion in the same degree and width so as to heal faster and recoup.
3. More wellness programs especially on Mental Health need to be focused as the same have cropped up big-time.
4. Strengthen the employee with technology-enabled tools so that the servicing to the customer is unhindered at the same time, and employee gets his/her share of personal time off.
5. Mandatory Leaves could be further expanded, so as to pursue any personal hobby or pursuit.
6. Encourage more smart working tools rather than being only hard working.
Imbalance in the work life of employees can adversely impact organisation culture. Every initiative that we genuinely take for our Employee’s Wellbeing, we would see that reflecting in our offerings and services.
Disclaimer: The article is authored by Mr. Sharanabasappa Jade, Head of Human Resources, Emkay Global Financial Services Ltd. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not represent those of PEAKLIFE.
