Work. Life. Balance.

Work life balance is a phrase that gets bandied about by all sorts of invested parties in the world of work. Often it is over simplified as meaning the proportion of your time you spend in or at work. Equally though it can mean the proportion of your happiness or wellbeing that is a result of your work. Gradually experts in the field are coming to understand that the way work makes a person feel has a direct impact on their effectiveness as an employee.


Having a purpose in life seems to be a vital part of a healthy life, so it makes sense for work to be part of the fulfillment of that purpose. If career and purpose are well aligned then it easier to be fully engaged in your day to day tasks.


Engaging an employee with the work and goals of an organisation can be the difference between motivating him or her to work hard and be creative and active in moving forward, or them slumping over a desk barely getting the basics done.

How does your manager act?

The job interview is an opportunity for you, the would be employee, to find out if a company promotes staff well being and actively finds ways to motivate workers. Ask what the organisation offers in the way of

• staff education and training or CPD
• what opportunities there are to work outside the box of the job description
• what incentives or chances to move up or around the company structure are offered
• what staff support is in place to help on the days or in the periods that anything might not be going so well, this includes sickness payment but also if an employee is struggling with workload or being asked to do things beyond their remit.

Find out if these things are done departmentally by individual managers, or if there is a company wide policy that is implemented by the HR department. Think about which system suits you best. What else do you hope for from your bosses?