Work-life harmony: A new philosophy for the modern workforce

The last few years have created challenges — remote work, social isolation, quiet quitting, the great resignation — fueling stress, disengagement and burnout which leads to absenteeism, health issues, a decrease in productivity and more. 

 Today the lines between work and personal life are more blurred than ever before. But let’s face it, the traditional ideas of “work-life balance” and “work-life integration” don’t work in the modern workforce. The pandemic accelerated the re-evaluation of our relationship with work and sparked an internal dialogue: “What am I doing? Why am I doing it? Do I want to live my life in this way?”   

This post will explore the evolution of the relationship between work and life, what work-life harmony is, along with four ways to foster work-life harmony in your organization.  

The evolution of the relationship between work-life balance and work-life integration

The concept of work-life balance dates to the 1970s, a time when baby boomers faced the stressful realties of balancing their work lives with responsibilities at home. Fast-forward to the last thirty years, there’s been growth with the knowledge worker and an end to cradle-to-grave employment. Since the world of work has changed, and we don’t leave our work at the office, the notion of work-life balance has become obsolete.   

Unlike baby boomers who tried and failed to strike a balance, Gen X began to focus on work-life integration as technology has blurred the lines between work and personal life. Instead of balancing the responsibilities of personal and professional roles, the concept of integration placed a heavy focus on time management and maximizing hours by multi-tasking for ultimate productivity.

Why do work-life balance and work-life integration not work for the modern workforce? 

In the era of work-life balance and work-life integration, managers were pressured to deliver results, often at the cost of their own well-being and that of their team. HR expert, Jason Lauritsen posted that work is defined by relationships rather than contracts. Employees in the modern workforce want to work in a safe environment where they’re trusted to get the work done — and measured on their contributions instead of the hours worked or where it got done.  

So, how can employees approach their relationship with work and life priorities in a more realistic way? This is where work-life harmony comes in. 

What is work-life harmony?

Unlike how work-life balance focuses on how time is used, and work-life integration prioritizes what gets done with time, work-life harmony values the why behind the time spent. Harmonization is achieved when employees are viewed as a whole person with congruent, interwoven roles.  

In more simple terms, work-life harmony occurs when the different aspects of an employee’s life coexist, fuel one another, and foster positive energy. Just like musical notes can play simultaneously to create a beautiful sound, chord or progression, work and life can be harmonious.  

Comparing work-life balance vs work-life integration vs work-life harmony

Top benefits of work-life harmony

• Fuels energy and purpose. By aligning your work with your values, it enables a life that feels good and fills your cup. Instead of balancing or integrating, the little to-dos and big initiatives work together to build something bigger and better.  
• Promotes positive well-being in all aspects of life. Eliminating the stress of maximizing time and choosing to focus on the big picture will allow you to prioritize your well-being and redefine activities based on the “why” or the “who” you’re doing it for.  
• Leverages personal life and work life as mutual sources of positive energy. Being intentional about your energy and where you invest it will make your life richer. Whether you’re at home or at the office, your energy is a force that you can turn up or scale down, but you can manage it, so it’s not depleted.  
• Results in transformational mindset and forward momentum. Enjoying the journey means focusing on the small tasks or moments of growth each day instead of the finish line. This fuels you and propels you forward — energy is powerful, resilient and critical to innovation.  

It’s important to remember that in order to create work-life harmony and reap the benefits, psychological safety between an employee and their employer is critical.

4 ways to show care and foster work-life harmony

Work-life harmony starts with organizations showing employees they care and prioritizing their health, so employees don’t have to choose between well-being and work.

1. Orchestrate intention

Does your culture enable employees to take time for their well-being? Organizational culture is the single most important factor in determining an organization’s success or failure. Work with leadership to integrate well-being into your processes and operationalize DEIB norms and policies. Build an environment for well-being improvement that’s enabled by company resources and consistently reinforced by leaders. Here are some examples: 

• Meet both in-office and deskless workers with the tools they need for their work environment 
• Incorporate leader-sponsored activities into your well-being program 
• Have leaders post videos sharing key company goals, updates and their personal well-being journey 

2. Energize managers

Does your culture equip managers to be role models for well-being improvement? Managers have been found to be one of the strongest drivers of employee well-being and engagement. Managers have an important responsibility for the experience employees have at work, and it’s critical that they have the tools to support employees’ work-life harmony. Focus on managers and give them the support to drive engagement, collaboration and well-being in their employees. Here are some examples: 

• Include quarterly “manager challenges” that provide clear strategies to assist managers in promoting well-being activities 
• Survey managers to understand what support is needed 
• Create a “manager toolkit” with key information and resources designed to support them 

3. Personalize communications

Does your culture prioritize well-being communications or have a channel for listening? When information flows freely, employees feel more valued, have higher well-being, and are more engaged. One size does not fit all in this case. Prioritize an effective method for communicating and listening that resonates with employees. Here are some examples:

• Target groups with upcoming events and webinars for their specific or underutilized resources  
• Enable wellness champions with writer permissions to promote local activities and events 
• Survey employees to understand what is going well and what additional support and resources they need  

4. Cultivate connections

Does your culture encourage social connection between employees? Connection to others and having support from co-workers helps cultivate a sense of belonging which is highly influential to overall well-being. Connect employees to foster a sense of support and belonging, which will also personalize their experience. Here are some examples: 

• Highlight a different ERG each month to raise awareness and encourage employees to join 
• Encourage managers and leaders to regularly send cheers to their teams to celebrate and highlight achievements 
• Create a “weekend challenge” for employees to share and celebrate their unique hobbies, skills and plans 

The paradigm shift toward harmonization and well-being in how work is designed must include all the interactions and behaviors that employees engage in throughout their workday, especially communications and connections. The examples above foster a healthy relationship between an employee and their employer, which builds trust and transparency that’s mutually beneficial. 

Free download: The Definitive Guide to Work-Life Harmony

We’ve got a great resource for you: our Definitive Guide to Work-Life Harmony. It has everything you need to know about the state of the industry in 2023, as well as four ways to show care and foster work-life harmony.

Start your journey to work-life harmony with Limeade 

Limeade is on a mission to help companies recharge their cultures with care. If you want your company to become a great place to work, contact us for more information on starting a well-being program that emphasizes a healthy relationship between work and life.