Do You Have Work-Life Balance?

Oct 11th, 2007

This is especially applicable to slaves worker like me working for big big bosses under one big big company where they say that their slaves employees should not have “Work-Life Balance”.

But what is ‘Work-Life Balance’? Have you ever given this a thought? Ok, this ‘Work-Life Balance’ thingy will not be applicable to you and you who work from home, freelance and/or not working at all…hehe. ;p

Back to the typical 9-to-5 slave workers like us. Do you normally call it a day sharp at 5:30pm? I hear voices here saying, “Nooooo……..” But why “No”? Isn’t it in your slavery employment contract that your working hours are from 8:30am to 5:30pm (nowadays don’t dream you’ll still get 9-to-5 job, ok. If got, please let me know) ;p

We are normally ‘required’ to complete our daily work and tasks on the particular working day. And if you can’t finish or complete, then you’ll need to stay back for O.T. Ya, company will pay you for your ‘extra’ time wasted working after 5:30pm, but how much? A lot? You tell me ler… So there’s your “Work Life”. How about your “Personal Life”?

Imagine you work your O.T until about 8pm. Then do you think you’ll have your “Personal/Private Life”? I don’t think so. You’ll be dead tired after your dinner. Then you took a bath and then…?

That’s alright since you only do your O.T during weekdays. You’ll be consoling yourselves that you still have your weekends for yourselves and famly. But, har?? Weekends!?? What weekends!!?

Do you know many of the slaves out there have to work on Saturdays as well? Only the lucky ones get alternate Saturdays. All my friends gotto work on Saturdays. I mean Every Saturday. Lucky me. I only work 5-day week haha. Poor friends of mine, where is the “Work-Life Balance”?

Let’s do the weighing. Our “Work” don’t just start from 8:30am, u know. Let’s say you wake up at 7am in the morning every weekday to prepare to work. You do all your usual routine with the one thing in your head - WORK. Otherwise, you’ll not wake up so freaking early. Then you continue your day with whatever WORK you are forced asked to do. Then comes 5:30pm. You go home? Ok, let’s say you are lucky enough to escape the hands of ‘tyranny’ at 5:30pm.

But your mind and soul are still filled with WORK. You talk about work during dinner. You go out drinking with your best friends, and what conversation do you guys have? Work… “My job deals with this and that…” or “My boss is this and that…” or “Mr. so and so in my office…”

So, next time when people ask you to “Get A Life”, do put it into a thought. You and I really need one.