The rise of remote and hybrid work arrangements has largely erased the boundary between work and home and re-energized the debate over work/life balance. Multiple surveys have found that as employers require workers to return to physical workplaces, work/life balance is falling while stress is climbing.
As a result, some workplace experts suggest that the time has come to retire the concept of work/life balance (which was first introduced in 1910) and replace it with one better suited to this century.
Work/life integration (WLI) is a holistic approach that seeks to blend personal and professional needs. Rather than treating work and life as separate entities or creating a conflict between them, the goal of WLI is to find areas of compromise and synergy.
Read the article:
From Work/Life Balance to Work/Life Integration
SHRM | May 2023
Building a Better Work-Life Blend at Your Organization
IFEBP | Mar 2023
Toolkit
The term "sandwich generation" specifically refers to those who are at the same time caring for an aging parent and raising a child under the age of 18 years. This toolkit highlights the extent and effects of family care concerns in the workplace and how employers and human resource professionals can proactively manage this aspect of work/life fit.
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Work-Life Integration Is the New Work-Life Balance. Is Your Team Ready?
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Work/Life Integration Could Soon Replace Work/Life Balance
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Forget Work-Life Balance. Work-Life Blending Is the Key to Happiness
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Why this psychologist says finding work/life balance is BS
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