Importance of a work-life balance

What does it mean to have a work-life balance?

Having a good work-life balance means that a person spends just the right amount of time on work and just enough time on themselves and their family, when not at work.

Why is it important to have a work-life balance?

• The more people work, the less time they have to spend on other activities, such as time with others, leisure activities, eating or sleeping.

• It has been suggested that long working hours may affect personal health and well-being and increase stress levels.

• A person who may work long hours regularly and does not establish boundaries between work and home life, may cause a person to suffer from physical and mental exhaustion and may result in time off work or in hospital.

• Low levels of job satisfaction from working too much and not taking the opportunity to enjoy home and social life may result in stress and depression which may have both short and long term consequences on a work/life balance.

• Spending too much time at work and focused on a career means a person may not dedicate any time to growing and developing friendships, causing social isolation and related mental health issues.

• A person may fail to establish boundaries between work and home life, and when work takes over, a person may miss out on important family events, causing feelings of guilt which may lead to anxiety and mental health problems.

• There may be a breakdown of family relationships as work is always a priority which may impact on relationships with children, which can last a lifetime. This may cause children to ignore the relationship and prevent any bond from developing.

• The more hours a person works and the more consistently it occurs, the more work a person may receive. This will only serve to exacerbate any work/life imbalance.

Check out the CCEA GCSE Learning for Life and Work Second Edition Textbook to find out more or check out: My Revision Notes: CCEA GCSE Learning for Life and Work: Second Edition

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