The pandemic profoundly impacted how people think about work and family. The lockdowns, social distancing measures, and remote work arrangements implemented in response to the pandemic required many people to spend more time at home with their families. For some workers, this increased time at home allowed them to form stronger connections with their loved ones and prioritize their family relationships. Others may have realized that they were neglecting their family life in favor of their work responsibilities, and the pandemic allowed them to reassess their priorities and make changes. Simply put, many workers discerned that they were weary of the daily grind and have since strived to reprioritize how work fits into their lives.

What is work-life balance?

A Deloitte study found that when choosing an organization to work for, 39 percent of Millennials and 32 percent of Gen Zers decided to join their current company due to a good work-life balance. Employees today want to balance their work responsibilities and personal life by treating them as two distinct and competing entities with firm boundaries between them. The idea behind work-life balance is that work should be done in an office, and living should occur elsewhere. This means that workers want to have the time and energy to pursue their hobbies and interests, spend time with family and friends, take care of their physical and mental health, AND meet their job requirements.

What is work-life integration?

The concept of work-life integration challenges the traditional idea of work-life balance by blurring the lines between work and personal life. It focuses on the idea that work and personal life are not separate entities but interconnected aspects of our overall well-being. It emphasizes the importance of flexibility and autonomy in the workplace and the need for individuals to prioritize their personal responsibilities and goals alongside their work obligations. The goal is to find a way to align priorities and manage boundaries to combine work and personal life to make them feel seamless and natural rather than separate. The merger of work and personal life, even during traditional office hours, enables employees to create harmony to achieve their career ambitions while attending to their personal and family obligations.

Work-life balances vs. work-life integration

Work-life balance focuses on keeping personal and professional lives separate but equal. Work-life integration centers on the idea that there should be no separation between your personal and professional lives and that they should coexist peacefully. What does this look like in the workplace?

Work-life balance	Work-life integration
You exercise in the morning before starting work or in the evening after leaving the office.	You exercise during the workday on a break or by scheduling time into your day for physical activity.
You and your spouse/partner take turns balancing your work schedule to drop off and pick up the kids at daycare or school.	Your spouse/partner works in the morning while you run errands, clean, or care for the kids. Then in the afternoon, you switch roles.
After finishing a big project, you take vacation time to rest and recharge.	You combine work and vacation time to travel and explore new places while fulfilling professional obligations.

Which model is more beneficial?   

Each worker is unique, with their own needs and preferences regarding their work style. Some employees prefer a quiet, distraction-free environment, while others thrive in a more flexible and dynamic setting. Therefore, each model has different benefits.

Work-life balance model: Some employees prefer firm boundaries between work and their personal lives and fear that one will take over the other without them and disturb the balance. Therefore these types of employees seek work-life balance.

The primary benefit of this model is that it allows workers to devote their full attention to work or personal life at any given time. When you’re at work, you’re really at work and not thinking about housework or child care in between meetings. When you’re done working, you focus on spending time with your friends and loved ones, hobbies, or binge-watching your favorite series. This model provides an easier way to measure your time working and enjoying personal time to ensure that it aligns with your goals.

Work-life integration model: Other workers prefer more fluid boundaries between work and home and are comfortable switching back and forth throughout the day. These employees require fewer time and space boundaries and thrive in a work-life integration model.

The significant benefit of this model is that it allows each employee the flexibility to coordinate schedules and responsibilities productively. In the long term, Gallup projects that 75 percent of remote-capable employees will be hybrid or fully remote. Therefore, integrating work and life for many workers is not a choice; it’s a given.Remote employees may be better equipped for success by embracing the work-life integration model.

Related: The State of Remote Work in 2023

Should you adopt the work-life integration model?

Providing flexibility and autonomy in the workplace benefits employees and employers, increasing productivity (53 percent) and morale (47 percent) and fostering a sense of loyalty and commitment among workers, which can have long-term benefits for your organization. However, it’s important to note that work-life integration is not a one-size-fits-all solution and may not be appropriate or feasible for all companies or industries. Some organizations may need to adhere to more rigid schedules or have more stringent demands on their workers, making adopting a fully integrated approach challenging.