In this month’s edition of Insight, brought to you by the IIC&M, we are on the topic of balance. Being in the middle of summer season in Europe, and whilst taking a summer break to balance hard work with some well-deserved leisure time, to me this is traditionally the time to reflect on work/life balance.
Working as a coach, mentor and HR professional, I automatically associate balance with work/life balance. Work/life balance has been an ongoing theme throughout my career, both as a topic put forward by my corporate and individual clients, as well as for me personally.
Before the economic crisis emerged in 2008, work/life balance seemed to be a rather personal thing. I used to speak with people who had been very ambitious and had grabbed all the opportunities that their careers had offered to them. At some point, they would start wondering if - in their pursuit of happiness - they should continue to follow the career route or if perhaps they should shift their focus a little bit more towards their personal lives. Work/life balance seemed to be mainly be about balancing personal desires, such as wanting that flashy career yet also wanting that great social life, and searching for ways to optimise the balance between those two and have it both.
After 2008, things changed. Companies struggled because of the impact of the economic crisis, and the people in those companies struggled along. Quite a number of people lost their jobs and found it difficult to find new jobs, especially at the same level as their previous roles, which brought a lot of work-related stress in their lives. And those who were lucky enough to keep their jobs, had to deal with increasing workloads and work pressures, often to be handled by less employees. Flashy careers were no longer a conscious choice, but became a lucky streak. And stress around work became the norm, rather than the exception. The focus of work/life balance conversations as a result shifted from how to create our own perfect little world, into how to survive working life through times of crisis.
Thankfully, we are now 8 years down the line, and things have slowly started to look up again. And therefore, this summer I will take some time to step back from it all, and reflect on work/life balance. What have I learned over the past years from my own experiences? And what have I learned from my clients’ experiences? And how can I apply these learnings to create a better balanced future for myself and help those who I work with to do the same? I hope that this issue of Insight will inspire you to join me in this, so that together we can create a better balanced life for all of us.
I wish you all a lovely summer (or a great winter, if you are in the Southern Hemisphere)!
Warmest regards,
Denny
Denny Portier-Terpstra
Editor
Denny Portier-Terpstra
Editor of Insight brought to you by the IIC&M.
Denny is also an experienced coach and mentor, and an HR Professional.
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EDITOR'S
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