Work and No Work

life balance isn’t only about families and childcare. Nor is it about working less. It’s about working ‘smart’. About being fresh enough to give you all you need for both work and home, without jeopardising, one for the other. And it’s a necessity for everyone, at whatever stage you are in your life. (Departments for Trade and Industry, UK, 2001)

There is a direct and a complex relationship between work, non-work and leisure as it depends on the individual themselves and how well organised they and how well they balance things. Wilson (2003) defined work as an activity which occurs on a daily basis and is a paid role. This is considered an uninterrupted commitment. (r) However, there are different views on the definition which adds to its complexity and interpretation. For instance, Keith Grint defined work as an activity which is undertaken with hands; which gives objectivity to the world (Grint 2005) (R) Whereas non-work is considered as leisure as they are perused for pleasure and are not a part of their business, job or domestic obligation (Watson 2012) (r)

In this essay I will discuss and critically evaluate the relationship between Work & Non-work. The following areas which will be discussed are the three relationships that affect work and non-work: Extension, Neutrality, and the factors that influence the relationship between work and non-work will be evaluated. Lastly, discussing policies the companies can adopt in order to improve work life balance will be discussed. I will support my discussions with a wide variety of academic materials such as, Books, Journals, Articles, Websites.

Neutrality: this is when there is similarity and connection between work and non- work where the employee will be happy with their life as they have a clear balance between the both and are able to manage them effectively. Frome (2003) has stated that work has more of a negative impact on family than work has on family.

Opposition: This is the opposite of extension and is when there is a balance between work and non-work and work and leisure are considered as two separate elements.

Extension/ Spill over

This is when work extends into leisure and can be combined to the point where the line between them both does not exist. The extension/ spill over stage will occur when work load is high and can have an impact both on work and leisure.

From the definitions above, Parker (1982)

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