The Growing Conversation Around Work-Life Fluidity

What you should know?

A new report has found that three quarters of UK knowledge workers have an unhealthy relationship with their work. That alone calls into question the relevance of a fairly well-known term: work-life balance. Should work and life really be in balance? Is “balance” even the right word? A new term could help us reset our priorities: work-life fluidity.

Flexibility and adaptability have become valued skills. Work-life fluidity means recognizing this flexibility and ensuring that work and life make sense at the same time. It's almost the opposite of work-life balance: a state of functional, beneficial imbalance.

What others say about it?

We live in a time where employees expect more flexibility and understanding. They expect their employer to understand that they have priorities outside of work, that their personal well-being comes first and that we are all different when it comes to how, when and where we do our best work

Flexible working can mean that you have the opportunity to complete some of your tasks outside of typical office hours and that you have the option to work remotely if you feel you need to.

What matters is that you help your team members do their best work by understanding their differences, recognizing their strengths, and creating a work environment where they feel confident, motivated and feel productive.

What this means for you?

We have identified three ways in which companies can move from the tension of work-life balance into a conducive space of work-life fluidity. This includes a bottom-up rethink on a variety of initiatives, including:

• Flexitime: When does work have to be done in your company? Maybe you should think about introducing flexible working hours at the beginning and end of the day.
• Asynchronous work: Is a meeting really necessary? Have members of your organization rethink meeting policies and consider how some work can be completed via messaging, voice notes, or video recordings to avoid putting too much strain on their schedule.
• Tools: Time tracking, scheduling or task management tools can help employees stay on top of their to-do lists without being rushed unnecessarily.

In the era of evolving work dynamics, the conversation shifts from the traditional notion of work-life balance to a more adaptive paradigm—work-life fluidity. IceHrm recognizes the importance of aligning work with individual priorities and fostering an environment where flexibility and understanding flourish. Try IceHrm today!