Balancing work and your personal life is a problem people have been fighting with long before cell phones, the Internet and all our other current forms of communication.
For example, the idea of pagers has been around since 1921, though they didn’t start to see real world use until 1949. Coincidentally, the term workaholic first appeared at about the same time. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its first known appearance came in 1947, in the Toronto Daily Star.
There’s something Canada can be proud to have given the world a word to describe a person who works compulsively at the expense of other pursuits.
There is no doubt that the concept of work-life balance is being discussed more and more, and it’s likely the use of cell phones, Facebook and other social media, email accelerated the growth of this longstanding concern.
One positive side effect is the number of people escaping to the South Okanagan, either bringing their businesses or working remotely to create a better work-life balance. It sure helps when all you have to do is step outside your door to enjoy beautiful surroundings, trails and all the other bonuses we get from living here.
But achieving a better balance is a struggle for many. According to an Insights West Poll, a majority of Canadians working full-time say they had to stay late at work over the past six months and more than a third report the office “following them” when they are with family or friends.
Whether this is really a growing problem or just the perception of a problem, a concept introduced by the French government makes a lot of sense. A recently passed bill allows workers the right to disconnect, to set specific hours on evenings and weekends when they should not send or answer emails.
It’s an interesting concept, but you have to wonder if people would really take advantage of it. Concern about work-life balance is a real problem, but on the other hand, being a workaholic is also something of a badge of honour.
