Introduction: A Sideways Look at Work-Life Balance

We are living in times of great change. Advances in technology, financial crises and the recent pandemic force governments and employers alike to think outside the box. How and where we work now represent real challenges for leaders and employees alike. With change comes opportunity; the chance to reshape what we do, to improve our work-life balance and to forge a new relationship with the world of work. The centrality of work in our lives goes way beyond the earning of an income. The delicate ballet between the demands of work and home, of doing things we have to and doing things we want to, can be challenging. The notion of work-life balance seems flawed since work is entirely contained within life. From a brief history of work to an examination of why work is important to our well-being, we take a fresh look at what balance could mean and the changes needed to achieve it. We describe the consequences for leaders as well as employees in these shifting scenarios and propose job crafting to fit jobs to people, rather than vice versa. We end by looking at making changes to our home lives, using the analysis developed here.