So, following on from my previous post about work life merge, I’ve now got Sally Whittle’s thoughts on the article and how her life relates to it… I won’t repeat my description of Sally here, as it’s in the earlier blog post, but she’s answering the following:
How her work and life is merged, whether she’s happy with it, and if not, what she is doing to address it. And also, whether she thinks the merge is worse for women or men, or if it’s equally split?
But the danger – and I really believe it’s a big one – is that when your job isn’t going well, when your colleagues and clients aren’t your new best friends, and the work is a chore rather than another fun thing you do – blending work and life gives you no refuge. The negativity of the job infects your whole day, it impacts on families, friendships, relationships. And if you’re in paid employment, having no division between work and private life means a disaster in your personal life could impact on your reputation, and prospects, in the workplace. Work/Life balance can often just be a sneaky way for employers to get more for less, let’s remember.I would urge anyone – no matter what sort of job they do – to preserve some division between work and home life. Keep a little of yourself back from your professional online persona. It’s incredibly important and when the proverbial hits the fan, it could be the difference between keeping things going and watching it all fall apart.
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Men versus women – I think women are generally less successful at dividing work and home, since they are more likely to work part-time, they’re more likely to work from home, they’re more likely to be a primary child-carer… I think also women might think having a blended work and home life is an achievement, but I would say, hand on heart, those people who achieve most professionally are not generally those who mix home and personal. By all means do a job you’re passionate about, and that you love, but don’t mistake your job for being your life, is my advice.
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So, what do you think? Do we need to draw a line on some sort of work life merge? Is it truly possible to achieve it? Do you think Sally is right in saying that women will think that doing this is an “achievement” in itself? How do you feel about this? Look forward to lots of different opinions!!!
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