The Origins of Work-Life Integration: A Personal Reflection
I began my career as an Associate Lecturer in Civil Engineering at Regional Engineering College Kurukshetra before transitioning into government service as a Class I officer. In the former role, my official duty hours aligned with the college schedule, but the responsibilities extended beyond the classroom. Preparing lectures, framing questions, grading assignments, and pursuing further research were integral to the job, often requiring additional time at home. In contrast, my government position, though more prestigious and better paying, mandated 24-hour availability. Yet, for the first two years, even during the Emergency of 1975, I could disconnect from work after reaching home.
This brings to mind an earlier memory. As a child in the late 1950s, my father worked for the Railways, supporting a senior lawyer whose demanding schedule often kept him on duty for 14-16 hours a day. As a young child, I didn’t understand the concept of balancing time between work and family—I only remember missing my father. Reflecting on these experiences, I realize that what we now call work-life integration isn’t a new phenomenon. People have long adapted to their work demands, often prioritizing their job over family life when necessary. Whether referred to as the ‘call of duty’ or otherwise, individuals have historically navigated these boundaries based on their unique circumstances.
In my view, work-life integration has always existed, just not by that name. It shouldn’t be seen as an alternative to the traditional notion of work-life balance but as a continuation of how people have managed their professional and personal lives based on priorities. Work-life integration focuses on blending the two seamlessly, while work-life balance allocates defined slots for work and family.
In this blog we shall examine a critical question, “Can the concept of work-life integration, now gaining popularity, truly apply universally across all professions and personal situations?”
Challenges of Work-Life Integration in Today’s Culture
But is work-life integration adaptable universally, across different professions and personal circumstances? A recent article in The Speaking Tree titled “Selfless Work Paves Life to Salvation” provides valuable insights into this debate, drawing from perspectives like those of Ratan Tata and spiritual teachings from the Bhagavad Gita.
- Ratan Tata’s View: Integration Over Balance
Ratan Tata advocates for work-life integration rather than balance, emphasizing that both work and life should be meaningful. However, integrating work with life implies that work encroaches on life’s space. In many cases, attempting integration seems counterproductive. For instance, if my work took me near a tourist site while developing a dam 50 km away, I wouldn’t prefer to take my family just because of the proximity to a tourist destination. Mixing duty and leisure could be disastrous.
Some may say I’m from an old school of thought, but I don’t believe in blending pleasure with work. During my time with the Danish International Development Agency (Danida), families were sometimes invited for tourism while employees worked on annual planning. While my family enjoyed these gatherings, every family missed their working member. At Danida’s headquarters, in the Royal Danish Embassy, we rigidly followed work-life balance, with no interruptions during family time. Yet, on review missions, work-life integration was automatic due to undefined hours.
- Current Work Culture and Remote Work
Today, remote work and constant connectivity have blurred professional and personal boundaries. My son, working from home twice a week with a US software giant, often faces no defined working hours due to meetings in opposite time zones and demanding targets. Work and life become integrated by choice.
For intellectual workers—those whose professions rely heavily on creativity and decision-making—work-life integration makes sense as their work often spills into personal time. But is this applicable to all professions? Physical labourers, who work under strict schedules, usually leave their work behind when they exit the job site. For them, work-life integration seems irrelevant.
Is Work to be solely blamed for Lifestyle Diseases
The stressful work culture of today is often blamed for lifestyle diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol, largely due to long sitting hours. However, I believe our laziness is equally responsible. During administrative training at the Lal Bahadur National Academy of Administration, we were introduced to an 11-minute exercise regime to remain fit in desk jobs. Yet, 99% of us (including me) stopped practicing it within months. I find it hard to believe we can’t spare half an hour daily to stay fit.
Having worked with fit Danish diplomats during my time with Danida, I failed to motivate myself to follow their lead. My former boss, at age 82, continued his passion for motorcycle trips through remote areas of Rajasthan. So, it’s our inertia, not just work stress, that leads to sedentary lifestyles.
Blurring of Professional and Personal Boundaries
Remote work and technology are often blamed for merging professional and personal spaces, but intellectual work has always involved this overlap. In Water Resources Engineering, or any other intellect driven profession, when designing an innovative project, it’s impossible to allot exclusive time to family until the work is finished. Sometimes, the call of duty itself lays down the priority of work over family too like my colleagues in Central Water Commission, while working on flood forecasting and dealing with emergency of flood management have to prioritise work over family. Likewise for those engaged in disaster management and such emergency duties or the people in the Armed Forces, the job itself dictates prioritising work over family needs.
Coming back to desk jobs, gadgets now make routine tasks, like replying to emails, intrude on family time, turning occasional work infiltrations into a routine issue. This relentless pressure affects not only the worker but also their family, leading to emotional fatigue. This scenario, in my opinion is a clear intrusion in the family time. Therefore, when we talk about work life integration, we must keep the purpose achieved in mind.
If the intrusion into family time serves a higher purpose, such as emergency management or societal benefit, it might be occasional and justifiable, but not as a routine matter for mundane tasks!
Materialism and the Ethics of Integration
In today’s materialistic society, people often work longer hours to achieve material success, leading to a work-cantered life. However, materialism isn’t the only motivation—some pursue work out of passion. The idea that passionate work always leads to material success is misleading. For instance, Tesla’s idea of wireless energy transmission, though groundbreaking, lacked investor support due to fears of the unknown, while Edison succeeded due to better communication and marketing skills.
Thus, material-driven hard work doesn’t always yield societal good. The electric car, first developed in the early 19th century, and hydrogen fuel dating back to 1807, didn’t gain commercial success due to investors’ limited vision. It wasn’t until environmental damage from fossil fuels became evident that these technologies received renewed attention. Yet the researchers who developed these technologies back in 19th centuries didn’t achieve the material success they deserved! Thus, it is not necessary that work life integration would automatically lead to material success.
Is Work-Life Integration Always Ethical or for Societal Good?
Work-life integration may not always serve societal good. For example, the development of cancer cures is often allegedly slowed by lobbying from pharmaceutical companies invested in high-cost treatments. This raises ethical concerns: while companies aim for profit, societal good should prioritize accessible and effective medical solutions.
The Gita’s Teachings: Selfless Work
The Bhagavad Gita teaches us to focus on the action itself, without expecting rewards. But is selfless work universally applicable? Intellectual workers, driven by ambition, may find material success as their main motivator. Thus, detachment from results is often absent in real world of industry. At academic levels however, when technologies are developed, the researchers are self-motivated to provide their best not knowing the degree of success their project would achieve. Work-life integration is possible at that level.
For those with physically demanding jobs, work without personal gain may be demotivating. The idea of selfless work could also clash with family responsibilities, where providing and caring for loved ones is essential.
Sustainable Prosperity: The Promise of Integration
Ratan Tata argues that aligning work with values can bring both financial stability and personal fulfilment. But is this practical for everyone? For many, work is a means to an end, and constant integration may lead to burnout.
Conclusion: One Size Doesn’t Fit All
While work-life integration may work for some, it’s not a universal solution. The adaptability of integration depends on personal circumstances, job roles, and societal values. Intellectual workers may find it natural to blend work and life, but for physical labourers or those in high-stress jobs, the traditional separation of work and life remains necessary for well-being. Ultimately, work-life integration may offer solutions for certain professions and individuals, but it cannot be universally applied without considering the nuances of different roles and personal circumstances.
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