The weird shift in how people talk about 'work-life balance' over the last 5 years

I was cleaning out old files and found a project plan from 2019. The client's main goal was just 'increase output by 15%'. Fast forward to a meeting last week for a similar project, and the first slide from the client was about their 'employee wellness metrics' and 'sustainable pacing'. The change is huge. Back then, working late was a quiet badge of honor, and you just didn't talk about being burned out. Now, my junior team members openly block their calendars for 'focus time' and managers ask if you're taking your PTO. I think the big cause was the pandemic forcing everyone home, blurring the lines so badly that companies had to actually name the problem. It went from a vague idea to something we have to measure and talk about. Has your workplace made any real policy changes around this, or is it still just talk?

3 comments

3 Comments

blairtaylor1mo ago

We finally got a real "no meetings after 4pm" rule that they actually enforce.

angela_grant1mo ago

I used to think those rules were pointless, but seeing it work for @blairtaylor's team changed my mind. It really does protect your time.

sullivan.kevin1mo ago

My old company tried a strict no meetings after 3pm rule. It just meant all the real work got pushed to frantic 10pm Slack messages because the decision makers were never free at the same time. Did Blair's team see a drop in after hours messages?