Balance vs Blending - Comparison of two working models

The way we see work has been undergoing fundamental changes because of the influence of digitalisation, the trend towards greater flexibility and mobility, and Generations Y and Z’s values. The rational performance society of the industrial age (with overtime, competitive pressure and fixed attendance times) has proven to be unsustainable. Various new-work models have been rapidly gaining ground, especially as a result of the Covid pandemic.

Values such as income level or status are less relevant for generations Y and Z, who expect employers to provide for values such as meaningfulness, creative opportunities and work-life balance.

Work-Life-Balance

People have been talking about work-life balance for a long time and the term is already part of the standard HR vocabulary. Work-life balance means a person’s private life and work are clearly separate from each other. The “balance” in this context is an equilibrium. In short, it is about finding a balance between private life and work. By creating a clearer division between work and private life (a stricter work-life balance), employees feel they have more options and control over their lives. With a good work-life balance, employees are more capable on the job and less stressed.

Another positive side effect is that, since employees develop less stress, they have fewer sick and absence days. This is particularly relevant in the context of there being a shortage of skilled workers and of increasing sick leave for psychological reasons.

The Advantages of Balance

The work-life balance model offers the following advantages, among others:

• Employee satisfaction
  Employees with a work-life balance are more stable, which in turn can have a positive effect on employee satisfaction and motivation. Increased motivation also increases employees’ performance readiness.
• Positive image for employers
  Satisfied employees like to identify with their company. Thus, employees can have a positive influence on the image of the employer as company ambassadors and through employer evaluations. This in turn helps the company to receive qualified applications for vacant positions in the future.
• High level of employee loyalty
  Satisfied employees who can identify with the company are more likely to feel a connection with their employer. This in turn leads to a reduction in the fluctuation rate and in recruitment costs.
• Lower absenteeism and sick leave
  Since a healthy work-life balance has a very positive effect on the health of employees, employee absenteeism and sick days decrease.

The Disadvantages of Balance

While the work-life balance model has some advantages, there are also some disadvantages:

• Excessive or insufficient demands on employees
  Excessive or insufficient demands on employees as well as low planning flexibility have a negative impact on the employees’ mental health. Inadequate time use and self-management, for example, are detrimental to planning.
• Overworking employees
  Employees who ask a lot of themselves but cannot muster sufficient resources to perform are the most susceptible to increased workload. A major problem here is that permanent excessive work demands, coupled with little room for control or decision-making, create greater risk of burnout.

Work-Life Blending

In contrast to work-life balance, work-life blending does not separate private and professional life but instead mixes them. Clear boundaries and areas are broken down and work and private life are merged. For example, work is also undertaken in one’s free time, in front of the TV on the couch in the evening, because a good thought has just popped into one’s head. This flexibility at work means that private appointments, e.g. at the car mechanic’s or the bank, can be easily met during the day.

Advantages of blending

As long as the work-life blending model is well supported by supervisors, it offers various advantages:

• Employee satisfaction
  With this model, employees can organise their free time in a more self-determined way. This high degree of self-determination is very likely to lead to employees being more satisfied with their work tasks.
• Flexible working hours
  With the classic 40-hour working time models, it is often difficult for employees to take care of private matters. This often leads to having to take a day off just to go to the bank or the car mechanic. This problem is eliminated with work-life blending.
• Productivity
  Freely selectable working hours allow employees to choose the time when they are most productive.
• Increasing the compatibility of family and career
  The work-life blending model can also improve the compatibility of family and career. Flexible working hours give people the opportunity to spend time with their families and complete office work later in the evening when the children are asleep.

The work-life blending model offers many advantages, not only for employees. Employers can also benefit from the model since there is no waiting over several days for email replies from part-time employees; as a rule, they return important replies earlier.

In addition, employers can expect to counteract a high turnover rate through increased employee satisfaction. This can save a lot of time and resources, especially in sectors with high turnover rates.

Disadvantages of blending

In addition to the opportunities, blending also entails certain risks:

• A lot of overtime
  Flexible working often leads to overtime which is not written down or noted. This often has a negative effect on employees who feel obliged to work this overtime.
• Neglect of free time
  The fact that there is no longer a clear separation between work and free time can have the disadvantage that employees neglect private matters and overwork themselves.
• Health risks
  The health risk must also be considered. If one cannot switch off from work due to constant accessibility, there is a lot of stress and anxiety which can cause health problems.

Studies show that many workers today have problems with the work-life blending model. 37% of respondents said they do not have clear start and end times for their work assignments and projects. This unsettles many respondents so much that they cannot switch off even after their actual working hours.

Balance or blending?

In contrast to the work-life balance, where professional and private are clearly separated, the work-life blending model mixes work and private life. Professional tasks and projects are merged with family and time for oneself.

The work-life blending model is much more in line with the trend towards greater flexibility and mobility than the work-life balance model. However, work-life blending involves significantly less employee control, which in turn could lead to greater health risks than work-life balance.

Regardless of whether work-life blending or work-life balance will prevail in the labour market, it is important for companies to bear in mind that working environments must always be flexible and dynamically adaptable to all requirements, that there is no one right model for everyone and that good cooperation and exchange between employees and managers are enormously important. Cooperation only works with good communication, regardless of work-life blending or balancing.