Finding my balance.

Abstract

It is a phrase that comes off the lips of many in this cosmopolitan city these days. Its wide and varied usage creates a facade of familiarity.But despite nearly a decade of mentions, work-life balance appears to remain an unclear concept. It seems like it is up to the individual to define his or her own work-life balance (WLB). And as if this confusion is not enough, other terms such as work-life harmony and work-life integration have also sprung up. While the definition of WLB varies widely, a general one can be taken from Worklife Solutions, one of Singapore's leading human resource consultancy firms specialising in work-life programmes. It is “to strike a healthy balance between our desires to participate fully in the labour market while giving the best of ourselves to our loved ones, in essence, between our job and personal responsibilities.” “We can't define it”, said Mrs Cheryl Liew-Chng, CEO of work-life consultancy LifeWorkz.She prefers to view the concept as seasonal, where one's personal needs differ at each particular life stage. Thus, a healthy balance for the individual means being able to blend both work and life needs together. Even consultants themselves have slight variations about what work-life balance means. Singapore seems to be united in its cause for more WLB. This can be seen in the plethora of mentions in local media. In these recent years, the government appears to be very robust in championing WLB when it enhanced the WoW! Fund and Flexi-Works fund. Even as this project comes to a close, the government has announced its latest progress to combine the aforementioned two schemes with a third called ADVANTAGE!, to form WorkPro, a new $170 million initiative that will commence in April this year.