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WORK-LIFE
BALANCE:
Is it Attainable?
AS CURRENT COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
CONTINUES TO BLUR THE LINE BETWEEN WORK AND
HOME, THE IMPORTANCE OF A SUCCESSFUL WORKLIFE
BALANCE REMAINS AS CRITICAL AS EVER
By Lisa Kopochinski
The term “work-life balance” has
been bandied about for years in
the media, but what does it really
mean and is the Canadian workforce
actually achieving it?
According to the Ottawa-based Human
Resources Council for the Nonprofit Sector,
an organization that is funded in part
through the Government of Canada’s Sector
Council Program, the definition of a
work-life balance is as follows:
“A self-defined, self-determined state of
wellbeing that a person can reach, or can
set as a goal, that allows them to manage
effectively multiple responsibilities at
work, at home and in their community; it
supports physical, emotional, family and
community health, and does so without
grief, stress or negative impact.”
While this sounds good and is definitely
something that both employers and employees
should be experiencing, is it really
happening? It is especially pertinent since
technological advances today have made
many workers feel an increased amount of
stress due to the dependency on email and
having to stay connected outside of regular
work hours.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ JANUARY 2014 ❚ 27