From the Glukoze blog

There’s a chassé-croisé going on that you may not know about yet… Not the vacation chassé-croisé between Julyers and Augusters.
The chassé croisé between employees and the self-employed.

On the one hand, since 2020, salaried employees have had wide access to telecommuting, and are enjoying the autonomy they’ve regained by deciding on their personal organization a few days a week.
On the other, freelancers, tired of the loneliness of independence, are seeking to group together in co-working facilities or in each other’s homes.

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Reflections on work-life balance are not new.
Traces can be found as far back as antiquity, when philosophers such as Aristotle and Seneca reflected on the importance of contemplative life and leisure.

However, it was during the 20th century that the issue of work-life balance took on its current scope.
Industrialization and urbanization led to an increase in working hours and a growing separation between work and personal life.

Here are a few milestones in the history of thinking about work-life balance:

• Early 20th century: The first laws on working hours and paid vacations appeared with the law of March 21, 1906, known as the “weekly rest law”.
  This law established the principle of a weekly rest day for employees, giving them a compulsory day off each week.
  (Sunday).
  It laid the foundations for subsequent regulations on working hours and paid vacations in France Articles L3111-1 to L37172-2.
• 1960s: Development of the feminist movement and questioning of traditional gender roles.
• 1970s and 1980s: Increase in the number of women in the workforce (from 31.3% to 19) and intensification of the debate on reconciling work and family life.
• 1990s and 2000s: Emergence of the “work-life balance” concept and development of new forms of work, such as telecommuting and flexi-time.
• Today: Work-life balance is a major concern for employees and companies alike, and numerous initiatives have been put in place to promote this balance, such as the creation of the personal training account, the right to disconnect, childcare subsidies, the ban on meetings at the end of the day and encouragement for employees to take care of their physical and mental health.

Despite these advances, work-life balance remains a challenge for many employees and companies.
Stress, burnout and psychological distress are on the increase.

The concept of work-life balance was supposed to make it easier to reconcile work and family responsibilities, but all too often it has sometimes had the opposite effect:

• Blurring the boundaries.
  With the advent of mobile technologies and remote working, the boundaries between work and private life have become blurred.
  Employees feel constantly connected and find it difficult to “disconnect” completely from work, even in their free time.
• Increased workload.
  In some organizations, the quest for a better balance has been interpreted as an invitation to be more available and productive, thereby increasing workload rather than reducing it.
• Presenteeism culture.
  Many companies still value a culture of presenteeism, where time spent in the office is seen as a sign of dedication rather than real efficiency.
  This mentality runs counter to the notion of work-life balance.
• Pressure and guilt.
  Employees can feel under constant pressure to meet professional expectations while also being present for their families, which often generates feelings of guilt and stress.
• Lack of policies and organizational support.
  Many companies have not put in place clear policies or real support measures to facilitate this balance, reducing it to a mere marketing slogan.

These elements, often combined, can lead to a situation where work-life balance has become a major challenge rather than a solution, negatively impacting everyone’s mental health, well-being and overall satisfaction.

So it’s important to keep thinking about this issue and to find ways of reconciling the demands of professional life with the needs of personal life!
This is what I propose with work-life integration, which allows a healthy overlap of professional and personal duties, whenever it makes sense.

Work-life balance recognizes that people have a life outside the workplace.
We’re not going to question that, but work-life integration goes further.
It encourages mixing work and personal responsibilities where it makes sense and is possible.

It’s a subtle but important shift that encourages you to look at your day holistically and identify hidden opportunities that can be overlooked when you build a concrete wall between your work and your personal life.

That’s what’s been happening in France for a few years now, when we started talking about Soft Skills! You know, those non-technical skills that refer to interpersonal skills and behavioral qualities.
These personal and subjective qualities enable us to interact effectively with others and adapt to different professional situations.

Here are a few concrete examples:

1. Efficient multitasking: If you’re a parent managing both professional projects and family activities.
   You need to have developed the ability to prioritize, organize your time and juggle different tasks without losing sight of the end goal (being on time for school).
   These transferable skills are invaluable in any professional setting, promoting more agile project management and greater responsiveness to the unexpected.
2. Creativity multiplied tenfold: If you’re passionate about photography in your personal life.
   By integrating this passion into your work by taking charge of the visual part of a project, you bring added value.
3. Resilience and stress management: If you regularly take part in sports or relaxation activities and manage to integrate these habits into your work schedule, you’ve probably developed better stress management and greater resilience.
   This translates into an ability to remain calm and make well-considered decisions, even in the most tense situations.
4. Communication and empathy: If you’re involved in voluntary or community activities outside work.
   You may have developed strong social and emotional skills.
   By applying these soft skills at work, you can improve team dynamics and foster more open communication, helping to create a more harmonious and productive working environment.
5. Adaptability and lifelong learning: If you like to travel and discover new cultures.
   You could bring this open-mindedness and adaptability to your professional environment.
   This can translate into better management of international teams or more efficient intercultural communication.

Life/work integration is a personal process that is built up over time.
Don’t hesitate to experiment and find solutions that suit you.
By capitalizing on your strengths and passions, you can transform your professional and personal life in a positive and enriching way.

Pro-life balance, or vice-versa, can unintentionally pit personal and private life against each other.
By definition, every ounce of energy devoted to one role is taken from the other, and this can make people feel like failures in both areas.

But work-life integration recognizes that much of life takes place during the working day, at times dictated by your company.
Parents and other caregivers (Sandwich Generation) can feel this acutely, as after-school activities, dental appointments or visits to the Ehpad usually take place during the day.

An integrated approach trusts employees to make informed decisions about how to use these hours to maximum effect, as long as they are transparent about their availability, accountable for delivering high-quality work and communicative with their team.
It reduces the stress of rigid limits and gives people a degree of freedom.

This confidence is based on the capacity for autonomy and empowerment that we hear so much about these days.

By using this uninterrupted time to work from home and make progress on projects that require sustained attention, you free up time later for parenting and meetings.
It’s a win-win situation.

“The idea is not to consider work life and private life as blocks, but as moments that intersect throughout the day.”

Benjamin Chaminade

Autonomy and flexibility are crucial in this model.
They enable individuals to manage their schedules in such a way as to optimize productivity without sacrificing important moments in their personal lives.
This could mean working early in the morning to take the kids to school, or taking a mid-day break for sports training, then returning to work with a refreshed mind ready to concentrate.

Here are a few concrete examples:

• Flexibility: You can choose to start your working day at 7 a.m. so that you can devote the afternoons to a personal project.
  This flexibility keeps you engaged and motivated in both spheres of your life.
• Telecommuting and shared space: You can use telecommuting to manage your orders while being present for your loved ones.
  You could also share a co-working space to physically separate work and personal life, promoting optimal concentration during working hours.
• Sports break: You incorporate a gym session during your lunch break, boosting your energy for the rest of the day.
  This break allows you to be more present and efficient in your tasks, while maintaining good physical health.
  And why not propose walking meetings to your team, as Twiter’s former CEO did with his “Gandi walks”? Gandi walks “.

The quest for performance at work isn’t necessarily real.
Some people spend a lot of time and effort giving the appearance of working, rather than actually being productive.
Want some examples?

• Visiting colleagues for a chat with files under his arm to justify his trip.
• Leaving a jacket on your chair so that your boss thinks you’re still at the office when you’re already at home.
• Schedule e-mails to be sent outside working hours to prove that you’re on the ball.
• Have graphs and an excel spreadsheet as background to make sure you’re on the ball.

And yes, these examples are real and lived.
I’ve got the names 🙂

Yet many organizations, consciously or unconsciously, reward people for looking busy instead of accomplishing strategic goals and tasks.
I know this because at a conference on intergenerational management and hybrid management I always hear from managers who are surprised to find that their staff go home late in the afternoon once their work is done.

News-flash to Generation XStop confusing performance with presence time!
What’s more, there are no more deminers on the computers to keep them waiting.
And don’t forget that they’ve understood that finishing faster can mean doing the work of a slower colleague!

Life/work integration redirects attention away from time-wasters like extra meetings or sending non-essential e-mails to maintain the appearance of activity.

Instead, you need to reward results and efficiency in achieving them.
Not just deadlines, on-time performance, budgetary limits and compliance with standards and practices.
This saves time and money, and enables team members to find the most effective and efficient ways of getting the job done.

To enhance the result, you can call on several ideas.

1. Productive teleworking: Consider that working from home allows you to concentrate on projects requiring sustained attention, far from the frequent interruptions of the office.
   Thanks to effective planning and support, you’ll soon know whether the employee is delivering his projects ahead of schedule, or not, and whether in his case flexibility can rhyme with efficiency.
2. Focused meetings: Reduce the number of weekly meetings and adopt a shorter, more focused format.
   This approach frees up time for value-added tasks, improving overall team productivity while preserving time for meaningful personal interaction.
3. Priority management: Use a task management application to prioritize your daily responsibilities.
   Focus on what needs to be done first.
   Then communicate openly with your team about their progress and achievements…
4. Flexible working hours: If you didn’t get the memo that we changed centuries ago.
   Introduce a policy that allows your team members to leave the company as soon as they’ve completed their daily tasks, with no obligation to stay until a set time.
   This encourages them to work in a more focused and efficient way, knowing that their personal time is respected.
5. The 4-day week: Some opt for a four-day working week, with slightly longer days, but with an extra day off each week.
   This flexibility balances work and personal commitments, while maintaining or even increasing overall productivity.

These examples illustrate how results-driven work-life integration can transform a company’s culture.
By evaluating your employees on their ability to achieve objectives and deliver quality work, rather than on their physical presence in the office.
You’ll create a more dynamic, motivating work environment that respects everyone’s personal balance.

Employees, particularly the younger and more skilled, have come to expect a certain amount of flexibility in the workplace since the pandemic.
This is the hybrid work approach and the shift from workplace to workspace.
For them, a certain degree of autonomy is seen as normal and due, not as an advantage to be earned.

Skilled employees, accustomed to a “fluid” work-life balance, will be less inclined to work for companies that don’t recognize this reality.
While most economic sectors are still experiencing a shortage of talent (despite an ongoing rebalancing), organizations that don’t offer flexible working arrangements will struggle to remain competitive.
This is true even when other traditional incentives, such as salary, are competitive.

Work-life integration is proving to be a key factor not only in attracting diverse talent, but also in retaining it over the long term.
Employees feel more valued and respected when their personal needs are taken into account, which translates into greater commitment to their company.

This loyalty is crucial in a context where the cost of turnover can be significant, both in terms of financial resources and lost knowledge and skills.
By offering a work environment that encourages the integration of professional and personal spheres, companies cultivate a sense of belonging and loyalty.
This is essential for building strong, long-lasting teams.

Lastly, adapting work practices to encourage pro-life integration reflects an understanding and appreciation of the contemporary realities of the job market.

By adopting a more human and empathetic vision of work, companies can not only improve their employer brand and their employer offering but also make a positive contribution to society.

They become agents of change, promoting more sustainable and equitable ways of working.
This positioning naturally attracts talented individuals, motivated by values of fairness and social responsibility, who seek to make their contribution in an environment that respects their integrity and personal life.

In this way, work-life integration is not just an HR strategy; it’s a global, people-centred corporate philosophy that is paving the way for the future of work.

Finally, a focus on work-life integration fosters innovation by promoting diversity of perspectives, creativity, adaptability, collaboration and a sense of ownership.
When employees feel supported in integrating all facets of their lives, creative problem-solving, collaboration and communication can become the norm.

Of course, work-life integration can sometimes pose challenges for both employees and companies, as it is more nuanced than distinct phases like the apple TV series “Severance” .

Employees need to communicate their needs and preferences to their employers, while employers need to establish transparent policies and guidelines.
Without clear communication, misunderstandings can arise, leading to missed deadlines, unbalanced workloads or increased stress.

This means, for example, reminding certain managers of the existence of the right to disconnect.
All too often, I still see managers sending e-mails on the dot and employees responding to them.
I leave it to you to decide whether this is a good thing, as it shows the employee’s commitment, or a very bad idea, considering the risks to well-being and health at work.

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Well, time to wrap things up. Work-life balance is an important issue for the well-being of some and the performance of others. It is therefore essential that we continue to mobilize on this issue and implement concrete solutions to improve the situation.

Work-life integration recognizes that people’s lives are complex, and that most of life takes place during the traditional 9-to-5 working day.
Instead of compartmentalizing work and personal life, it allows for an ebb and flow that can strengthen both aspects.

But if your job isn’t linked to a machine you can’t take home, but to the use of your brain, well… you take it with you.
So deal with it and learn to reconcile these two phases of your life in the only life you have.