The work life balance saga

6thDec'24

Lately this touchy conversation has somehow found itself labelled as a hot topic every month. Like everyone, I have thoughts:

Let's get something straight - I am a proponent of entrepreneurship. This country runs on the back of entrepreneurship. For two reasons mainly - 1) Private enterprises solve problems (making them crucial where public systems fail) - irrespective of the scale and significance of these problems, in most cases they are making people’s life convenient or making someone happy. If they are not delivering on that, over the long run they are likely to fail. 2) They create jobs - This is huge. We live in a resource scarce country. If you start an enterprise that provides food on the table for whom it was not an option earlier? Whatboautthat! You are a king, you deserve to be celebrated.

The best businesses should create long-term value for everyone it interacts with in any capacity. Creating value for customers is paramount. Being able to generate employment is a fascinating value add for this country. But why stop there? Why would you not care about an employee's wellbeing? Why would their happiness not matter? Think about this - A company that creates great value, generates jobs and ensures the wellbeing of its employees? Now, that is a noble goal.

It's not that simple obviously, it's actually very hard. Founders will argue that if employees are not pushed 24x7, the enterprise will lose its edge. It won’t be competitive anymore. It will be unable to create value, eventually ceasing to exist. That’s a valid point.

Employees will argue why they should I work this hard? My compensation is not contingent on the company’s performance (in most cases), I am easily replaceable. That is a valid point as well.

In my opinion, WLB vs start-up success is not always a trade-off, as much as it is made to be. Leaders who are not arrogant will understand the importance of empathy and looking after the wellbeing of their employees. They would not dismiss criticism, instead seek to figure out the problem and solve. Empathy is a not a value destroyer. In fact, motivated employees can bring more to the table. There are multiple repercussions to an unhappy workforce. Beyond instability in the workforce, word of mouth spreads. It matters especially if you are building a brand.