Work/Life Integration Could Soon Replace Work/Life Balance

In an episode of the NBC sitcom, 30 Rock, the character Liz Lemon, played by Tina Fey, tries to convince an adoption worker that her busy life as a TV producer/writer will not impact her ability to successfully parent a child.

The results are predictably disastrous, from co-workers shouting expletives at one another to the adoption worker being knocked out by a piece of equipment.

For many workers, the pursuit of work-life balance has been similarly disastrous, though probably less comedic. Over the past several decades, companies have even tried to pitch themselves to potential workers by discussing their efforts to promote work/life balance.

Yet, in the wake of the pandemic, the idea of work/life balance has been upended as homes became workspaces for millions of workers.

And maybe that’s a good thing.

Integration Is the New Balance

In the New Work Exchange, we see a shift from work/life balance to work/life integration. The normalization of video calls, in particular, has created an environment where we constantly invite coworkers and colleagues into our homes—even in a virtual sense.

Snacking toddlers and barking dogs are no longer quirks—they are just “another day at the office.” Early in the pandemic, when we had to rework one of our events as a webinar, I even told people I had actress Brooke Shields coming to see me in my home. At the time, it caused a lot of raised eyebrows until people realized it was just another Zoom call.

Integration Puts Workers in the Driver’s Seat

I would argue work/life integration is far more favorable than work/life balance as it offers more flexibility to workers to decide where, how, and when they are most productive.

Work/life balance encouraged a strict 9-to-5 work schedule, the idea being you could get your kids to school on time and be home for dinner. In other words, it promoted a clean separation between work and life.

Meanwhile, work/life integration recognizes work is just another part of life and should fit into life. It means a worker can say, “I’m productive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but then I need to take my kid from school to soccer practice, and then I can be productive again from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.”

A couple hundred years ago, there was no concept of work/life balance, but life contains plenty of work/life integration. Farmers took their kids into the fields and markets, teaching them their trade. Apprentices lived with their masters, learning both business and life lessons. In this way, work/life integration isn’t a new idea. It’s a return to what may be more natural for us.

Unsilo Our Identities

Instead of forcing workers to silo parts of their identity, companies should seek opportunities to help workers integrate their full selves into the workplace. For instance:

• Can workers bring their pets to work to decrease their stress levels?
• Do workers have the ability to select which holidays they would like to have as paid holidays to reflect their values rather than company-dictated holidays?
• Instead of just maternity/paternity leave, do you offer family bonding time for workers who grow their families through adoption?

If we’re honest with ourselves, the promise of Work/Life Balance never was fulfilled, so perhaps it’s best left in the past. Work/life integration is already showing an impact, as even before the pandemic, studies showed between 70-80% of employees reporting they would leave a job if their schedule weren’t flexible.

Work/life integration has flexibility at its heart because it recognizes no formula for how employees balance life and work. It’s only logical that people are the best judge of how work should fit into their lives, not executives in a board room. On top of that, flexibility communicates trust, and trust is a proven path to productivity.

How are you already providing flexibility to your team today? Where can you offer more flexibility? How can encouraging people to bring their full selves to work add value to their lives and the company?