We’re obsessed with work-life balance. There’s no shortage of research, articles, and self-help books trying to help us find and restore a balance between our work and nonwork lives. However, most of the discussion and advice tends to focus on changing individual career decisions, or team expectations, or organizational contexts. But what if other factors mattered as well?
Your Feelings About Work-Life Balance Are Shaped by What You Saw Your Parents Do
Consciously or not, we adopt or reject our parents’ habits.
October 30, 2017
Summary.
Most of the discussion and advice for work-life balance tends to focus on changing individual career decisions, or team expectations, or organizational contexts. But what if other factors — like our upbringing — mattered as well? 148 in-depth interviews with 78 working parents based in London revealed that the work-life balance of their own parents played a role in shaping their behaviors and attitudes around balancing work and life. Most subjects fell into one of the four categories: (1) They willingly adopted their parents’ model of work-life balance; (2) they unintentionally adopted their parents’ model; (3) they willingly rejected their parents’ model; or (4) they unintentionally rejected their parents’ model.
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New!
HBR Learning
Time Management Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Time Management. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Make smarter, more purposeful choices about how you spend your day.