WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Lead-in

We all have to make  trade-offs between professional endeavors and family, friends, community, and personal growth.  Do you think you have a healthy work-life balance?

Answer the questions.

Have you ever worked more than 40 hours a week?

Have you ever felt exhausted early in the week?

Have you ever worked  through your  lunch break?

Have you ever felt anxious or upset because of problems at work?

Have you ever lost your temper at work?

Have you ever stayed awake in bed at night thinking about work issues?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the high workload?

Have you ever felt you have no control over your schedule?

Have you ever felt you have no time for personal interests and personal development?

Have you ever taken work home with you?

Have you ever postponed your personal projects because of work?

Have you ever spent the whole weekend working?

Have you ever worked on the train or bus to work?

Have your colleagues ever contacted you out of hours or on holiday?

Have you ever missed out on an important family event because of work?

Has your spouse/partner ever been upset about how much time you spend working?

Have you ever felt  I don’t have any time for yourself?

Work with a partner and ask him/her the questions. Is the answer is “YES”, ask follow up questions. Do you think he/she has a healthy work-life balance?

Ex.:  - Have you ever worked  through your  lunch break?

         -Yes, I have.

        - When did it happen?

        - …………….

        - Why did you have to do it?

         - …………………..

Danes are known to have a good work-life balance. According to Danes themselves, the key is to prioritize life over work. Look at what is important to Danish citizens. Do you think the situation is the same in your country?

Useful language:

Safety is more important than income.

Income is less important than health.

Life satisfaction is the most important.
Civic engagement is the least important.

Vocabulary:

Collocations with the word balance:

 achieve
 find
 strike
 create                                         a balance 
 keep
 maintain
 sustain



Other words

keep your work-life balance in check – control your work-life balance in check

establish boundaries – set the limits 

accessible 24 hours a day – available all day

work/do overtime – work extra hours

work around the clock – work all day and all night

squander time – waste time

run-down - so tired that you do not feel well
drained - feeling as though you have no mental or physical energy left

to recharge - to regain energy or spirit

hit/ go through  a rough patch -  to experience or be in the midst of a period of trouble, difficulty, or hardship

anxiety - a worried feeling you have because you think something bad might happen

find/ strike/ hit a happy medium - to find a compromise position; to arrive at a position halfway between two unacceptable extremes 

Read the article and answer the questions.

What have you found out about the Danish work culture? 
Why do the Danes consider themselves the happiest people in the world? 
To what extent is your company's work culture similar to that of Danish companies? 

Do you agree with the following statement?

“You will never feel truly satisfied by work until you are satisfied by life.”

“Life will always get busy, make time to do the things you love.”

“Work is just a part of our Life, not vice versa. So live life full time, work work, part time.” 

Watch the video. What point is it making? Do you agree?

Discussion:

Are you supposed to be accessible 24 hours a day?
What makes you squander time at work?
Do you often feel drained and run-down after a working day? What do you do to recharge?
What can you do to improve your work-life balance?
What can people do to reduce stress and anxiety at work?
Can you describe a "perfect" day? How many hours will you spend at home/ in the office/ socializing with friends/ doing other activities outside work?
What do you think your company should do to make employees feel happier?
Do you think your performance at work would be better if you worked shorter hours?
Do you think everyone can find a happy medium between work and personal life?
What advice would you give somebody who suffers from a poor work-life balance?

Homework 
Read the article. Do you feel like changing something about you work routine after reading the article?