Finding equilibrium is vital when determining how much time you spend on professional and personal responsibilities. However, the ideal approach will look different for everyone. Some professionals want to create a work-life balance, while others aim for more work-life integration. As a leader, it’s essential to understand the difference between the two terms and how you can foster each in your employees.
Understanding Work-Life Integration
Work-life integration is when an individual combines personal and professional responsibilities to complement and support each other. Instead of viewing work and personal time as separate areas of one’s life, busy professionals can compromise by combining them in some situations. Work-life integration might take the form of bringing children to work or completing mindless chores around the house while focusing on a conference call.
The most significant advantage of developing work-life integration is greater flexibility. When employees can properly coordinate their schedules, they are more likely to experience satisfaction in multiple areas of their life. However, it’s essential for employees to continually work to maintain a work-life balance. They may experience decreased satisfaction and productivity if these two elements become misaligned.
How Work-Life Integration Differs From Work-Life Balance
Work-life integration and work-life balance are valid means of finding stability between the personal and professional. The primary difference between the two is how one uses them to achieve equilibrium.
With work-life integration, individuals strive to bring their personal and professional lives closer together. Instead of drawing a boundary between work time and professional time, professionals can tackle both responsibilities at times that work best for them.
A work-life balance means having your work and personal life coexist while operating separately. With a work-life balance, employees create firm boundaries between their home life and their work life to give each task their full attention.
Enhance Work-Life Integration With Help From The Center for Leadership Studies
As a leader, it’s your responsibility to showcase proper behavior for your team. Championing work-life integration can give your employees the freedom to take control of their professional and personal lives. If you need assistance developing an effective method for work-life integration, the team at The Center for Leadership Studies is here to help.
Our Situational Leadership® methodology offers practical approaches you can quickly implement in your company. We invite you to complete our online contact form today to learn more about our leadership solutions.
