Is the launch of Apple’s iPhone 7 a sign that work and family time will become even more blurred?

There’s no shortage of discussion when it comes to the potential perils and benefits of the so called “always on” culture and, not the least, how it seems to be muddying the boundaries between work and life.

The original work-life debate emerged as gender roles broke down and the number of women in work, particularly mothers, increased dramatically. It spurred on a plethora of books and articles ranging from Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” to New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter’s “Why women still can’t have it all”. But people worldwide are now feeling the pressure.

It’s no longer the case that we can switch off from work when we leave the office. Rather, we go home and constantly switch back and forth between family and work roles, dipping in for a quick check of corporate emails while cooking dinner. In this sense, what we’ve always deemed as “free time” is in fact “polluted time”. And while the Internet becomes rife with the debate of how it’s only helped increase presenteeism and mental health issues, the word “workaholism” becomes known as “the respectable addiction”.

Why? Because instilled in us is the fear that we are replaceable. We work more than required to stake a claim to future benefits like a pay rise or promotion, and we’re increasingly looking to technology to help us achieve those goals – it’s become central to our working lives.

This is not news, but the trend may have spurred on drawbacks that few initially considered – such as staff living in an “always on”, “always connected” world, with many of us reaching for our phones first thing when we wake up in the morning.

To some this isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering the UK is slowly progressing its way down the rankings in terms of productivity. However, while in theory tech makes us more efficient and productive, in practice it may be doing the opposite. Rather than using new tools to do our jobs more effectively, we are becoming increasingly beholden to those very tools – and in the process we end up jeopardising our relationships and, in many regards, our health.

Freedom and flexibility

Inevitably, and somewhat irreversibly, we’ve crossed over the line when it comes to keeping the two parts of our lives separate. But as Philippe Petite demonstrated when he walked a tightrope rigged between the Twin Towers in 1974, the ability to strike an equilibrium can be vital and, ultimately, could mean the difference between failure and success. And while we bemoan tech for its ability to make work encroach on our holidays it has also brought us greater flexibility and freedom. The traditional notion of a physical space where employees go to work is fast becoming an anachronism, with it now being easier than ever fulfilling their roles from home, affording us more time with family.

Now, the problem with “work-life balance” is that it suggests there is a trade-off – that one side must be “up” and the other one “down” like a weighing scale that has two sides to it. But while the ideal of compartmentalising our work and home lives sounds appealing, the barrier between our professional and domestic realms is more of a door than a wall. Emotional traffic through that door moves in both directions: good or bad news in one arena will impact the other, and vice versa. And there’s no way one can prevent it from happening, no matter how cool-headed you think you are: life is just that complex.

Maybe this is just 21st century living? It’s a question we all ask, and we are certainly at the start of working out how to manage it. By cultivating a supportive, flexible culture, we can reduce the likelihood of anyone getting swamped by demands from both sides of the door, and in so doing, we all gain. Of course, you can also attempt leaving any work-related stress at the office, but that’s easier said than done.

We’re all like the tightrope walker. We’re a little out of balance, in some way or another. Think of it like the Matrix’s “there is no spoon,” but swap the latter word for balance. And the sooner you realise it, the sooner you can make adjustments – really make them! Regret and guilt accomplish little when it comes to the issues of work and life. We all have limited time, energy and resources, and scheduling time to have time with family is almost like you’re still at work anyway.

Essentially, if pressure is applied in one area of life, the consequences ripple outwards to other areas. The same is true for our partners and colleagues. By respecting this interconnectivity we have with each other, and across our different roles, we will all benefit.