WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN NEW NORMAL

Abstract

Change is the only constant and adjusting to the change can be challenging.Over the past year,we have seen an unprecedented shift in the way we live and work.And while the battle against the dreaded corona virus is still not over; it continues to bring about changesin the way we work, play and rest. Trying to maintain work-life balance, while also adapting to a changed way of functioning, has become the new ‘normal’. Many people have lost their jobs to the pandemic, many shifted to working from home, while others cautiously treaded back to their work places in a hybrid system to minimize crowding and maintain social distance. There are both pros and cons to the new change. People who have embraced the change and even those who have accepted it are able to sustain the demands of the new normal – home, family, work, health and other responsibilities.They have upgradedand kept pace with advancing technology and digitization. At the same time, there are still many who are struggling to fit into this new normal, often falling back in the process.

This paper attemptsto see the changes brought about by Covid-19 pandemic to the way we live and work.While there are many obvious advantages of the new working style,the reality on the ground can be vastly different. Thus, it is important to see how people have adjusted to the new paradigm. Timely guidelines from the government and support from employers/company among others can pave the way for stress-free working environment, enhancement of skill and technologyup gradation.

As many as 480 people were identified using the Stratified random sampling technique– all of them were employed at the time – and asked a series of questions and with the help of percentages and chi-square,  the issuesthey face on the ground were assessed and also how they are adapting with the changes of the new normal.

This paper also suggestshow to improve working conditions and yield quality results.

Keywords: Pandemic, Work from Home (WFH), work from office (WFO), balance, new normal