Do you think work-life balance is challenging when working from home?

I think it's easier to get that work-life balance when working at home, especially when I can save 2 hours a day just on commute. But it's much better when you have an office space designated just for work related activities in your home, as it heps me to stay focused and reduces distractions

I don’t like the term work-life balance. They imply that these two things can’t coexist or that we aren’t happy with our work, so we need to run away from it. For me, it’s important to balance family, freedom, and fitness/health Any problems in one of these areas, i.e. my health, I’m stuck in my business, or I have relationship problems, will affect my work. As I keep the 3 F’s in mind, things blend together nicely.

Would you agree, that for people with families it's more challenging? Imo it's much easier, when it's just you and your task list :)

It is a challenge, especially if we share space with someone, have children, etc. But in any case, the most important things are organization, time management & discipline. If you are good at all three, then you will be great at work and also have more quality time with your family and friends.

Yep, a 100%. For me, it is challenging. My job offers hybrid working options, I can go to the office, I can stay home, whatever. When I have to stay home for some reason, I feel like my work-life balance is screwed up for the week 😬 That's because if I work at home then I'm more prone to distractions like my pets, cleaning, etc. At the end of the day I, of course, feel less productive, even if I worked the same number of hours as I would at the office. Hence, I feel inclined to do more, to stay up late, so I don't get enough sleep. And in the morning I feel terrible because I haven't slept enough, so I get distracted even more. It's a vicious circle.

A thousand times, yes. I, personally, struggled with work-life balance before all of this, and working from home has made it even more of an issue for me personally. Luckily, I love what I do, but if you asked my significant other, they would let you know we have had to create some rules surrounding work at home. I hope this omission resonates with some of you. As I'm on PH early Saturday morning. Haha.

It's a bit like being thrown back to university again. No teachers or parents to make you get on with it, you have to discipline yourself. Some people struggle and need the traditional work environment, some people are happy to get on with it in their own space. Different people will thrive in different environments. That being said, I think institution's like schools, universities & jobs are often used as the main sources of interaction for people. As remote working becomes popular it will be interesting to see the effects it has on employees ability to socialise and maintain friendships.

I don't think so, its depends - how you plan your daily activities!

Work-Life Balance, for me, is totally dependent upon self-discipline. However, if one has good control over him/herself, things do get easier in a work-from-home situation. For example, fewer commute hours and more quality time with one's family.

It can be easy and can be difficult how you approach it. Have seen many of my friends failing to create a boundary and have seen my peers dedicating separate spaces for work. Work rituals, discipline have paved way for a clear demarcation for some of these. Talking about my approach, I never found it to be a challenge since I like to openly communicate with my team about my availability and personal tasks. For me, it cuts down on my unproductive travel time and allows me those extra hours to utilize during the day. I learned how to create boundaries, set expectations, and manage the balance the hard way during this pandemic and now, I am fairly confident that I have a good work-life balance. This journey included being open in my communications with my colleagues and family members about how my day looks like. Setting up a separate home office and going outside to work in co-working spaces/ working from some out-locations just to kill the monotony. This taught me and made me capable to say that "All I need is my Mac and an internet connection" to make a difference :) Would love to hear your views @elena_cirera

I have always worked remotely, but I have never really had a problem with work-life balance because I keep my work and personal lives separate.

Don't think so at all. You have to arrange your time separately and give a clear idea to your family that when you're working...you're working. But I find it more efficient since you got your flexible time and space

It depends on the day/mood/family/home. There is a lot of factors to consider. For me, it is easy. I have a quiet room for work, so I can concentrate on it properly during the working day. At the same time I have quick access to anything/anyone at home, so that's great. I live far from the office (about 1,5 hours to get there), so it is a great way to spend the travel time on my family and hobbies.

I generally do not have a problem separating my work life from my private life. I am used to focusing on work when I am at work and forgetting about it the rest of the time. In addition, I have a separate cellphone for all work-related calls.

Not really. I've been working remotely for most of my life. I'm used to focusing on work when at my workstation and i'm pretty good at forgetting about work once i turn my computer off. A key element to succeeding in work-life balance for me is to have separate phones for work and civil.

For me it really depends on how well organised, efficient and disciplined you are... But I think it's also true that many managers haven't adapted well to this way of working - if they cant measure well the output they can never be sure whether an employee is working enough and are unreasonably demanding as a consequence!