Before we delve into work-life balance, let me share the story of Michael Phelps. He is the most decorated Olympic athlete with 28 medals. In his Olympic preparation, he chose to train for all seven days, deviating from the standard protocol of six days of training and one day of rest. His simple idea was that by adding an extra day of training each week, he would accumulate 52 extra days of preparation in a year, and over four years leading to the Olympics, he would have amassed an additional 208 days of training. It may seem extreme to put in that level of effort, but that’s the dedication of a truly driven individual. It’s no wonder he became the most decorated athlete in history. Similarly, the fastest athlete, Usain Bolt, shared insights into his rigorous training program, which surpassed that of many of his talented Jamaican counterparts. Achieving a high level of competence requires time, effort, and perseverance. Now, you may wonder, what does this have to do with work-life balance?

Wait! In this article, I offer a different perspective and attempt to delve deeper into the subject.

Post-Covid, a new kind of struggle has emerged between businesses and employees. One question that remains at the centre stage is work-life balance. This question needs to be thoroughly debated and discussed in all its aspects, especially considering the increased significance with the introduction of AI in the form of transformer-driven Large Language Models.

Stepping back to the post-World War II era, the world witnessed unprecedented economic growth, with its benefits reaching far and wide. In many societies, the middle class emerged, fostering a new relationship between businesses and employees. The workplace transformed into a new home, a source of identity, and a surrogate family. This new work family not only provided monetary benefits but also supported career success. My parents belonged to this generation and to some extent my generation of the nineties carried on with this paradigm.

I have a vivid memory of a discussion with my MBA classmates after our graduation about the number of hours we each put in per week and how many late nights we spent at the office. We felt envious of friends who were assigned more work, and it was acceptable to miss a get-together due to a last-minute work call from the manager. The bosses demanded total loyalty and work was our identity. At the annual corporate bash, we proudly wore office caps and sang business songs like school kids.

But if there is one thing that is true about life, it is its inconsistency. This became especially apparent during the 2008 financial crisis when businesses, under pressure, resorted to mass layoffs. Suddenly, a major rupture occurred, disrupting sacred bonds and eroding the trust between employers and employees.

In my work, I interact with many youngsters. I have a unique vantage point where I witness senior corporate honchos complaining about the poor work ethics of the new generation, while also hearing rumblings from the youngsters about struggling to find their identity in the workplace. How should we approach answering this question?

I believe it is crucial to frame and contextualise this issue. By adding nuance to the discussion, we can make it more meaningful for everyone involved. It is important for both employers and employees to reflect on their own motives in order to better understand the perspectives of the other side. First, I want to bring attention to contextualising WLB. There is a world beyond the corporate world.

Imbalance comes with the turf

The world owes a great deal to the medical fraternity who worked tirelessly during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is important to reflect on what the world would look like if these professionals had prioritized work-life balance during such challenging times. The reality is that there are certain roles, such as doctors, teachers, firefighters, police officers, and military personnel, where achieving work-life balance may be impossible. By choosing these professions, individuals have committed to a unique and demanding way of life. It would be wonderful if we are aware of the different roles that members of society play.

Space for Focused, Ambitious, Driven Individuals

If any of us wants to succeed in our chosen field, we must be prepared to make sacrifices. Unfortunately, resources are limited, and the world is not a kind, egalitarian place. It rewards those who seek and act, rather than distributing rewards equally to all. As long as there are focused, driven, and ambitious individuals in the world, rewards will continue to be distributed unevenly.

This is the point where I aim to draw a connection with the legacies of Phelps and Bolt. The world functions because a select few choose not to pursue balance but to sharpen their angularity. If you do not resonate with this approach, that is perfectly acceptable. Simply remain mindful of it when striving for rewards.

Employers be aware

I have a bone to pick with my generation when it complains of work ethics of the youngsters. Like I said earlier, the sacred bond between employers and employees is broken now. Businesses can’t demand unflinching loyalty and work hours from employees when they are not willing to stick their neck out and protect their workers. Most layoffs are insensitive and inhuman. They leave scars for life and the employees who don’t get sacked get affected too, with a kind of survival guilt. They see that it can happen to them too in future and are not willing to go the extra mile. So, let us not demand insane work hours and sacrifices from the next generation if we are not willing to protect them from quarterly investors’ pressure.

Lastly, there are no easy answers. Each of us need to introspect and ask ourselves: What do I want from my work? If you want to do better than your colleagues, go ahead. And, if you don’t want to be a super achiever, be clear of the reward mechanism.

Similarly, organisations need to be clear that it is not possible to get blind loyalty now and the relationship needs to be more equal than ever before.