Live to Work or Work to Live (The Importance of the Work/Life Balance)

I want to work to live not live to work, like most people in this world who value their family and their personal time I don't want my life to revolve around working to pay bills and sleeping to be able to get up to work to pay bills.

Working a burnout schedule of a scattered day off every two weeks, especially when you have a family at home means there is no rest, no down time and no time to enjoy your personal time. It is causing more call ins, more empty shifts and when a schedule is created to maximize a minimum staff means less people not only not willing but mostly physically or mentally unable to cover shifts when others are not able to make it in.

It seems like when a day off finally comes you are so behind on regular responsibilities that the fun and relaxation never comes and you start the cycle over again without the decompression your mind and body needs to reset.

The world we live in now with technology in hand means you are "reachable" anywhere and anytime, Facebook messages, text messages and phone calls in your off times about work, whether it be co-workers asking questions that can wait, managers looking for a cover or even customers or clients contacting you after work hours with the expectation that because you have your phone with you that you can and should answer. With work/life balance, unplugging, even while you are plugged in, from work shouldn't be a cause of work distress.

Work/Life balance is becoming more and more in the forefront of businesses as burnout from hectic schedules and lack of days off are causing more people to leave their jobs in search of more relaxed, staff friendly environments. Staff are starting to say no more then they did before as the short staffed crisis grows. No to coming in on their days off, no to cancelling plans to "be a team player", no to putting a job first that puts them last.

So take the vacation, enjoy your days off unplugged while being plugged in, your time outside of work is yours.