There’s no doubt that finding a balance between work and life in today’s ‘on the go’ world is no simple task. The world has changed and, unfortunately, as professionals face a truly unique era, the boundaries blur even further. The career-minded gen-Xers and India’s booming economy once had people terming work-life balance as a ‘Western’ problem. But these same youngsters are now struggling with the inevitable effects of all work and no play. On the one hand, the drive is to keep up with the workload, to climb that corporate ladder and prove yourself. On the other, fatigue, milestones missed and lack of time with friends and family. For the ‘We want it all’ generation, this delicate see-saw to reduce stress and maintain harmony is an ongoing challenge.
So whether the problem is too much focus on work or too little, the feeling that your work life and personal life are out of whack results in today’s main problem; stress and its harmful side effects. Ultimately, work-life balance depends on individual choices. It requires each employee to examine their priorities and set boundaries. Above all, it is the recognition that balance does not mean doing everything.
Imperative for firms
Clearly the onus does not lie solely with the individual. Without the support of structured programmes at their places of employment, workers are helpless to implement these choices.
And organisations worldwide are waking up to the fact that happy, well-rounded employees means greater productivity and less attrition. The latest buzz makes it clear that extensive work hours are the main complaints and the result is a diminished interest in job responsibility and an obvious growth of the work-life conflict. As a result, there has been a rising demand for more flexible work arrangements and human resource professionals across companies have ranked flexible schedules as the number one way to motivate employees. When flexible schedules are not valued by the employer, employees are more likely to feel overworked.
Work-life balance is a serious effort that has HR departments worldwide racking their brains for innovative and sustainable ideas that can help employees fulfill both professional and personal obligations. 
Said Rekha Menon, Executive Vice President, India Geographic Services and Human Capital & Diversity, Accenture India, “It’s important to create the right mixture because without work/life balance, any career goals or aspirations one has set will eventually fall flat due to the mind or body’s inability to keep up. Finding one’s career niche involves more than gathering and applying copious amounts of industry and job information.
Learning to create work/life balance can help by clearing the mind and body, which in turn helps you identify which goals are most important to you.”
Many aspects
Work/life balance can involve many things, from getting enough sleep at night to eliminating negative people and situations from your sphere to the more complex machinations involved in building and maintaining beneficial and supportive relationships with family, friends and peers.
Many MNCs have been globally recognised as a great place to work, it is not just because of the kind of work their employees do but also because of their people-focused policies. Ms Menon adds, “Accenture has several policies aimed at making the workplace a friendly place to work and aimed at nurturing work-life balance for employees. At Accenture the telecommuting initiative is a key tool for attracting and retaining employees, especially female professionals.”There is a marked shift in the attitude of employers as most companies have realised the benefits of telecommuting which include increased productivity, lower attrition, cost savings on infrastructure and a happy workforce!
New options
Telecommuting is a mutual commitment on the part of both employer and employee and fulfillment of this commitment on both sides will determine the future of its success. Telecommuting is a key people focused initiative at Accenture, but the attempt to make the workplace a friendly and supportive environment that respects individuals and their commitments spreads beyond it.
These include the option of extended maternity leave benefits and shift allocation flexibility (taking family obligations into consideration where business conditions and client work allow). Another major area of concern for  working parents is the welfare and nurturing of their children. By establishing day-care centres for their employees’ children, companies help alleviate much of the guilt that parents feel.
Current lifestyles also make staying healthy a challenge. Constantly on the run, balanced diets, exercise and even regular check-ups are often sacrificed for lack of time. So wellness clinics at each Accenture location ensure that its employees stay in shape. Accenture has also incorporated family events into its employee calendars, with social gatherings or outings where the whole family comes together.
Mandatory number of holidays, discounted gym and saloon memberships and even in-house work-life effectiveness managers and career counselors are all attempts by Accenture to counter stress and maintain the work life balance. Accenture currently has 30,000 employees in India as of May 2007. Fulfilling its commitment to nurture talent in innovative ways, Accenture is observing a ‘Careers Month’ this August. 
Source: Accenture