Less is more? More is less? What is the right ‘balance’ when we live? Work? Life? Self? Others? Between the 2,3 or even more kinds of values in life, can we really calculate and divide these abstract values such as achievement, meaning and happiness; and multiply the result by a percentage? 50:50%? 20:80%? 30:70%?
There is a prevalent social trend in Hong Kong to talk about ‘work-life balance’ (WLB). In 2003, Greenhaus, Collins and Shaw created the theory of work-life balance. The theory is to help people consider the amount of hours spent on work, involvements devoted to family or self, and the resulting satisfaction from both. Work-life balance is the ideal state where a person chooses to well prioritize the demands of work and career against the needs of his personal life. It is often suggested that a person who lacks the balance will be harmed by excessive work and home obligations. He will also lack personal quality time such as what is commonly known as ‘me time’!
There are 2 usual angles to look at WLB but the final answer depends upon one’s measurements of 2 ultimate things: meaning and happiness of life. My young lawyer friend said, “I dislike my work because it takes up too much of my time. I leave the office normally at 9 p.m. I cannot eat dinner with my kids. But, I need money, big money.” The balance for him is really between family and money. This is the most typical dilemma for people in Hong Kong. An old friend is very brutal, “The answer is money. Money is good for adjusting all balances in life!” The Tai Chi martial master disagreed, “The answer is health. Health is the best indicator which can tell you when to adjust the balance!”
A ‘trust fund baby’ reacted with contempt, “Work is always a mistake. Leisure and play are always correct! For myself, the right balance is zero work!” Another friend who is a social worker said, “The WLB was determined at the early stage when you chose a career. The right balance is between yourself and the organization that you will work in. Some will choose an occupation that is, by its nature, not so busy. Let me give you an example: being the receptionist of a small-scale international liaison office in Central. Another example is this: my friend likes to help the elderly. She works in an emergency alarm system company serving our senior citizens. Irrespective of the heavy workload, she enjoyed the work and said that WLB was never her concern!” A retired teacher interrupted aloofly, “Work-life balance is just an excuse for being lazy!”
An artist tapped his two fingers on the table, “Seriously, if you don’t passionately enjoy your work, please give up! When you are crazily in love with your work, you will not be bothered by the need for WLB!” He said this because he was an artist who completely hated a nine-to-five job and left 2 years ago being an office worker without a backward glance.
For me, work-life balance is a ‘phased’ process suggesting a phased approach. Life is a process during which one, being young, initially must try to be very hard-working, and then less and less diligent when one is becoming old. Aging is the road that we take naturally to discern our declining physical health. Everyone should have experience of getting ambitious in life at least once. Michael B Johnson said well, “Life is in stage. There is a stage where, like grasshoppers, we hop from grass to grass. And another, where we move from grass to grace.” Retiring from working 12 hours a day is certainly the graceful thing when you are over 55. The right work-life balance is therefore not calculated on a daily basis, but according to the different stages in the life cycle of a man.
We tend to think, quite mistakenly, that happy life is the result of the right amount of time that we put in at work or play. It is wrong. Instead, the truth is that happy life is the perceived quality of work or the pleasure derived from work; and how much these can mean to you during the different phases of your life!
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