Striking A Work-Life Balance In The Smartphone Age
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Technology has made it possible for us to work from anywhere at any time; taking calls while we walk down the street, or checking emails from our phones at home.
Dr. Sheeneeta White, an associate professor at the Opus College of Business at St. Thomas, says we must balance work and free time.
"You just have to figure out, you know, what needs to be addressed, and is it important enough to address it in that moment or can it wait a little bit until later on in the evening," White said. "If you don't take care of yourself and find a way to find that balance … you're going to find that you're not going to be as productive."
Two recent articles in the New York Times brought the work-life balance debate into the spotlight, describing unhappy and overwhelmed workers.
But the St. Thomas survey of 1,000 Minnesotans found something much different. About 75 percent of millennials and Gen X'ers with higher incomes, more education and children all tended to agree it is possible to achieve a work-life balance in their current job.
"Employers are getting it, that their employees need that balance," White said. "I think now the conversation is shifting and the conversation is changing, because now you're seeing emails come out from your employer saying, 'We're supporting this. We're giving you these perks, we're allowing you this flexible time.'"
So what do these survey results do?
"I think that this is a great finding that St. Thomas in our survey that we have, to let employers know that if you aren't on the bandwagon with this yet, you need to figure out ways to allow your workers to have that work-life balance and to give them a little flexibility," White said.
The researchers who worked on that survey at St. Thomas remind us that many of the state's largest employers have been recognized for cultivating a healthy work-life balance. And the Twin Cities consistently ranks near the top of national surveys measuring quality of life.
They also say that recent college graduates tell them that flexible schedules are just as important to them as salaries.