Work-life balance: Is this the tipping point?

Global work culture is changing rapidly, both because of the pandemic and technological shifts

How we look at work has changed over time. From the regular nine-to-five jobs and clocking in and out of factory shifts to today’s normalisation of remote jobs, the concept of work has altered as lifestyles and aspirations continue to change. Co-working spaces, working from cafes and workations are no longer novelties. The pandemic years have further normalised work-from-home and hybrid work models.

Terms like hustle culture, side gigs and moonlighting have all come to find a place in discussions around modern-day work. While we grapple with the culture of hustle and extreme productivity, concepts such as quiet quitting (doing only what is needed and not beyond) have also gained credence. We are also witnessing the emergence of concepts such as consciously slowing down and mindfulness. Japanese concepts like Ikigai, (finding purpose) and wabi-sabi (accepting imperfection), and the Chinese tang ping (rejection of overworking) have also found acceptance, a further indication of the great churn in recent times. For every aggressive take on the hustle culture and the importance of working long hours and staying productive at all costs, there has also been a steady rise in the number of young urban professionals consciously slowing down and staying mindful.

Take the case of the CEO of a personal care and grooming solutions brand who recently ignited a debate over hustle and toxic productivity by advising freshers to work 18 hours a day without complaining about it. In a LinkedIn post, he wrote, “I see a lot of youngsters who watch random content all over and convince themselves that ‘work-life balance, spending time with family, rejuvenation blah blah’ is important. It is, but not that early. That early, worship your work. Whatever it is. Don’t do random rona-dhona. Take it on the chin and be relentless. You will be way better at it.” Later, he quit the platform with an apology after his post went viral and saw a lot of pushback.

“What does work mean to you?”

Hustle culture is the notion of putting work at the centre of one’s existence to the negation of everything else Not so, for Sukhada Chaudhary, a Nagpur-based digital marketer for a peer-to-peer lending platform and a LinkedIn trainer on the side. “Work is not a big part of my life,” she says, adding that it is an enabler that helps her live the kind of life she wants to lead and pursue her interests. Also, she notes that work is something she is “decently good at and enjoys doing.” “What do you do” (for work) during introductions is minimising, she says.

Sukhada ensures that her workday doesn’t exceed six hours so she has time to focus on her interests. On the culture of relentless pursuit of productivity and hustle, she says that such a way of life creates unrealistic expectations for those without privilege and can, in fact, be an alienating and isolating experience for them.

The pressure to succeed is so high and not everybody may be able to break through, she notes, adding that young people then are forced to drive themselves hard. Sukhada cites the analogy of the core aspects of one’s life such as health, relationships, and family as balls in the air. She explains how if the ball called work drops, it can bounce back but the same is not true of other balls such as health or family which are fragile and can shatter. Goals like “work hard till one and retire at 40” create excessive pressure and put one at risk of sacrificing health, relationships and other aspects of life, she observes.

For Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, director and co-founder of a sleep and home solutions company, learning something new at work every day is a rewarding experience in itself. “We are a young and dynamic organisation and we believe in being agile and flexible in our approach. I have worked from Monday to Saturday over the past decade, and I am quite in sync with this method.”

Work-life balance is important for him and he ensures that on Sundays, he reads, takes long walks, and completes a quick workout. “Being able to create a balanced mix of work and leisure is imperative, and this gives me the opportunity to perform better, while also being able to lead a fulfilling life.”

Angad Dutta is a freelance copywriter and has several projects going for him. He happened to get into freelance life post-pandemic. Angad’s freelance life allows him the flexibility to socialise while also meeting the demands of his work. As a full-time employee, he found the pressure of his work life was high and the initial months of the pandemic only added to the stress levels as everyone went remote and the boundaries between work and home blurred.

During his earlier stint as a full-time employee, Angad found that the long work hours were pushing him into a burnout mode — he suffered frequent headaches and backaches. There was the feeling of never being satisfied, and that’s when he considered therapy, which helped him refocus.

He seized the opportunity to take a few steps back and “get his head together.” Angad gives the example of how a phone battery drains out with constant usage and one needs to switch it off for the health of the battery and the phone to stress the importance of slowing down and hitting the reset button.

A glorification of stress?

Ahla Matra, an independent psychotherapist based in Kerala, explains how ‘hustle culture’ impacts mental health. “This culture encourages work to dominate your life. It glorifies stress, and in an environment of stress, the body and mind go into flight vs fight mode. A prolonged state of stress releases cortisol (the body’s stress hormone) and can have a long-term physical and mental impact,” she says. “Overworking cuts down your ability to be more capable in the long term. Toxic work culture can lead to a person feeling exhausted all the time and may come across to another as being on the edge, snappy, irritable and incapable of empathy. The pressure to constantly stay productive can also lead to inhuman expectations and a sense of guilt and shame if someone’s not able to catch up. It can lead to professionals questioning their own self-worth,” she explains and adds that over the long-term, it could lead to social isolation and depression, and in some cases, the person may take to substance abuse to cope. The physical impact includes cardiovascular problems and chronic sleep disruption.

Work-life balance: No set formula?

The concept of work-life balance is not the same for everyone, says Priyan DC, CEO of a public relations firm. “Person A may find an 8-hour workday optimal, Person B might be happy working 14 hours and balancing their job and their side business. Maturity comes when a person is able to balance one’s career as well their social and personal life in a conducive manner,” he explains.

In spite of best efforts at maintaining a balance, modern-day work culture normalises not being able to switch off. As remote work, Internet access at all times and staying glued to our devices at all hours is increasingly seen as normal, toxic productivity shows up in the most insidious ways, notes Ahla, the psychotherapist. It could start off as “I’m on a break but will take just this one call,” or “I’m scheduling a meeting at 11 pm as a one-off.” Sometimes, one may not even have an option because organisations may encourage such mindsets or one is afraid of being left out of the race.

Staying out of this poisonous “work is everything” culture is not just an individual’s responsibility. Agency and privilege are at work, and not everyone is able to say no, for various reasons. “The change needs to start at the organisational level and the culture at the top needs to be redefined," says Ahla. Toxic patriarchal work structures need to be changed, she adds.

Some modern-day companies are moving away from rigid work structures. For instance, Chaitanya Ramalingegowda’s firm launched a 'right-to-nap' campaign in 2016 that normalised naps at work. “During the 2 to 2.30 pm window, our employees can take a nap to recharge, read a book, take a walk, meditate, or essentially do anything that helps recentre themselves. This policy has been significant in boosting workplace productivity and in helping our employees focus on their well-being,” he says.

Perhaps Sukhada’s email signature lines, “My working hours may not be your working hours. Please do not feel obligated to reply outside of your normal work schedule” should be the approach organisations and leaders need to take to break out of the toxic productivity mode.

The lure of the side hustle

There are plenty of urban professionals taking up a side hustle. Many are also forced to take up a full-time second job to meet their extra needs. The reasons vary from one individual to another. Explains Priyan, “It’s near-impossible nowadays to log onto LinkedIn and not see a post about how someone built a six-figure income on the side. And that can create a feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out), especially among millennials who may feel threatened by high-schoolers or college kids making money on TikTok. Real hustlers don’t do it because of others, though,” he notes. “Building a side business is hard work — you need to be truly committed to your business idea to make it work. There may be professionals doing it for social media traction but most of them drop off once the novelty wears off,” he adds.

“Gen-Z are digital natives and have a lot of exposure to emerging opportunities while keeping their main jobs intact. In fact, there is peer pressure to build a side hustle,” says Priyan. In his company, while team members are expected to stay committed to the company, its values and vision, and its clients, any assignment or hobby that is not in conflict with their business or customers is entirely an employee’s choice to accept or not.” “And in fact, I’d be happy to hear that their side projects are doing well — success of any kind is valuable,” he notes.

Is a side hustle or a second job good? “It depends on the individual. If there’s a balance between stress and rest, it is alright,” Ahla says. Sukhada is a LinkedIn trainer as well, apart from being a digital marketer. But this is more for a sense of fulfilment and she took it up to help many young urban professionals spruce up their LinkedIn profiles during the pandemic.

In a gig economy where multiple jobs are the norm, sometimes, workers may not have a choice but to take up several gigs. In such a situation, organisational support and a change in the mindsets of the C-suite in terms of flexible work hours could help. In the long run, asking yourself why you have taken up a second job or an extra gig matters a great deal.