Work-Life Inequality

For many the new American dream is to find the balance between work and home. The optimal work-life balance to allow for time to get the job done while not missing out on time and events for family, friends and oneself.  This has been a thorn in the side for the working parent – juggling parental commitments while maintaining face time in the office. But what about the workers who are not parents and just need the flextime to juggle their personal life and their professional life?

From The New York Times article When the Work-Life Scales Are Unequal Hannah Seligson writes “one person’s work-life balance can be another’s work-life overload. Someone, after all, has to make that meeting or hit that deadline.” And many child-free employees are feeling that burden.  Although most employees may not see or feel the tension of the inequality to their child-free colleagues, Deborah Epstein Henry, founder of Flex-Time Lawyers, according to Seligson’s article has found that colleague resentment is very common. “It’s the reason that a lot of work-life balance programs fail. In an ideal world, no one else is saddled with more work if their colleague works a reduced schedule.” To read the full article, click here>>

With today’s technology allowing for the work to continue sans the office face time there shouldn’t be a problem, right? What’s your take on this inequality rise in the workplace?