Hearts & Minds: Work life balance versus work life integration

Brewdog founder james watt set social media alight this week with his comments about work-life balance: “i just think the whole concept of work-life balance was invented by people who hate the work that they do. If you love what you do, you don't need work-life balance - you need work-life integration.”

The idea that work and life are not in competition, but are intertwined will be familiar to anyone who works in comms. We’re all connected now, all the time. Communications never cease, not anymore. That does not mean you must be on your guard 24/7, never relaxing, exercising and sleeping. That phone can, and should, be put on silent. But it does entail the late-night calls, the weekend lost to meetings, the interrupted holiday. It goes with the territory. 

It requires having tried and tested systems in place – a plan that everyone knows. All of us need downtime, even CEOs and comms chiefs; without that no one can function sensibly or hold their life together. That necessitates delegating and trusting colleagues – not always easy but it must be done and if not, it must be made to happen.

It is too, about priorities. Nobody begrudges a genuine crisis or the prospect of one, but if what’s causing the frantic activity really does not present any danger to the reputation of a person or the brand, then it can wait. That requires judgment and taking a decision, but for the sake of everyone’s sanity and wellbeing it must be made.

Watt is right. Work-life balance implies pursuing one at the expense of the other; work-life integration is better. Who knows, it may catch on.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.