Work-Life Blending: A Trend Involving Risks
Work-life balance is dead – at least that’s the claim of supporters of work-life blending, a trend on the job market which deems a strict separation of work and leisure outdated and not suitable for modern times. Is the removal of this boundary a logical development in the wake of New Work and home office? Or does it necessarily entail overworking, burn out and more health-related consequences? Here you’ll learn about what risks work-life blending poses – and how you can avoid them and still be flexible and work independently!
Work-life blending – a term that you’ll hear a lot in the context of New Work and working remotely. But what is actually behind this concept? First of all, this counter-design to work-life balance means mixing professional and private matters. This means: there are no set working hours any longer – and with that, there’s also no separate time for leisure. Thus, the workload is supposed to get done flexibly depending on demand and scope instead of doing it during a set time frame. Supporters expect this to offer a better balance between family and career, for example, as well as the targeted use of individual productive phases. In reality however, that often means that the actual working time is extended uncontrollably.
Increasing pressure to perform and systematic self-exploitation, sometimes involving social and health-related consequences, often follow. Because if you don’t differentiate between work and free time, friends and colleagues, the risk of suffering burn out or defining yourself exclusively in terms of your job is high, which can lead to identity and existential crises. But many people notice this too late, since the way there is a gradual process.
Mixing work and leisure has long been a reality
According to a study done at the Society for the Promotion of Consumer Electronics (GFU), 42 percent of 6000 people interviewed already read and respond to work emails during their free time and there’s an upward trend. This development is also reflected on the other side of the spectrum: Likewise, 42 percent read personal emails and messages during working hours or spend private time on social media platforms. In a survey conducted by Randstad where a similar question was asked, this value even reached 58 percent. These results show that the distinction between work and private life is becoming more and more blurred – and this has negative consequences.
Many feel more and more stressed by this development. This is confirmed by a study conducted by TK health insurance in 2016, according to which one in three people feels that constant availability is a burden.
However, this flexibilization of working times and opportunities for remote work and New Work generally holds many opportunities and benefits – if you structure your workday well, even when working from home and always keep an eye on separating work and free time.
Coordinating New Work and work-life balance? Yoummday enables you to do so!
At yoummday, you can reap all the benefits of New Work and always maintain your work-life balance while doing so. As a freelance Customer Service Agent you decide when and how much you want to work and enter your binding working hours into your custom shift schedule. In addition to that, you independently work from home 100 percent of the time. This way, you maintain full flexibility and at the same time, you create a structure for yourself that doesn’t only guarantee your work-life balance but conforms to your individual needs! See for yourself and sign up today – free of charge and without obligation at yoummday.com.
