Recently, there has been a lot of discussion on the number of hours one should work per week and the associated aspects of work-life balance. It is an important topic, but I am not sure if it is worth discussing it in a generalized context.

For work-life balance, several aspects need to be considered, and almost all are personal. It is up to the individual to decide how the balance needs to be maintained. 

Let me cite a few examples.

I have seen Mumbai housewives sitting in the local trains cutting vegetables they will cook when they reach home. The world-famous Dabbawalas exist because of the long travel time involved in the Mumbai commute and the officegoers’ need for home-cooked lunches. Does that mean that they do not have a personal life? If you say that the answer is yes, I will strongly disagree. Mumbai is known for its life and spirit. If we go by the generalized inferences, how do they maintain such a lifestyle?

While I took the example of Mumbai, even in Kolkata and other metros, many people commute more than two hours each way to their workplace. 

This brings to mind a common joke I heard back in my childhood. When a father was asked how big his son had grown, he showed it horizontally. On inquiry, he said that he only saw his son lying in bed since he left for work before his son woke up and returned home after his son went to bed at night. It seemed funny then, but thinking about it deeply, it brings up a tragic story of our workforce, where a father can’t interact with his son!

In both examples, I did not bring in the perspective of actual work. It is only the commute that has made life difficult. And why do we have such a long commute? The answer lies in the state of infrastructure and the disparity in the cost of living in cities vs. that of suburbs. 

Now, coming to the time spent at work, we need to distinguish the kind of skills the person has. The culture has changed after the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowadays, white-collar jobs often have more flexibility regarding remote work, while blue-collar jobs typically require physical presence, potentially leading to less work-life balance for the latter. It is unfortunate, but in a country like India, the blue-collar worker often needs to choose between work-life balance and having a job in the first place.

This drives the discussion towards self-employment. Self-employed individuals have autonomy but often struggle to draw a clear line between work and personal life. Salaried workers have more structured hours but sometimes face long hours in the office, which affects their equilibrium. Even if there are paid overtime, monetary benefits can’t substitute personal life.

Does that mean self-employment is the way to go because even with the long hours, one does get the satisfaction that the work done is for the betterment of their company? 

Would like to hear from you before I share my perspective on this.