Exploring the Meaning of Work-life Wellness: Introduction

When we hear the term ‘work-life wellness’, we ponder about many factors that influence the blurred lines between work and home life. We think about setting distinct boundaries between personal and career activities, in a paradox of wanting to succeed in either without compromising the time we have for other pursuits.

Also known as work-life balance, work-life wellness is a novel definition introduced by researchers to remove the pressure of having to strike a balance between different lifestyles. Instead, the term wellness is more inclusive in attending to mental and physical wellbeing. Whilst this distinction is important for researchers, the general populace may not be so easily convinced. For many, work-life wellness is a buzz phrase to help convince employees of its value, with little practice in effect.

Like its evolving definition, work-life wellness represents different meanings for employees. This works naturally alongside the differences in priorities across several industries, leading to misinterpretation and misuse of separating work and life responsibilities.

Nowadays, the concept is under pressure from Covid-19, which dramatically shifted the working world to move from a traditional office environment and construct a home station that can support both work and family responsibilities.

Whilst the pandemic initiated widespread change into flexible arrangements and policy amendments, we are still to learn the true repercussions it has on our work-life wellness.

This report presents a short series of conversations with employees from diverse industries, to guide the meaning of work-life wellness today, the importance of setting time aside to pursue personal commitments, how work-life wellness impacts their health and time management, and practical implications for organisations. Present research follows work-life wellness and its effect on wellbeing, and this report aims to compliment such research by continuing to maintain open dialogue around an at times difficult topic to describe.