The Rise of Work-Life Integration

Work-life balance. It’s a hot topic. People want to live life to the fullest, instead of feeling asthough they are wasting their lives away with work. We want to try new things, travel to foreigncountries, and experience different cultures. We want to spend time with our friends and familyand meet new people. We want to have hobbies, continue learning, and relax with a book. Andfor some reason, we believe these things can only happen after 5pm during the week and onweekends.But there’s something happening in the workforce. Individuals are demanding more flexibility,and companies are learning the benefits of providing it. Balance implies two items are equallyweighted, and quite frankly, I don’t think I want work to equal the amount of time I’m spendingon the rest of my life. It’s a shift from balance to a blend or an integration.Work is a part of life. There is no way around that (though if you find a way outside of winningthe lottery or inheriting a boatload of money, please let me know immediately). Instead ofseparating the two, what if everyone, as individuals and as companies, changed the paradigmthrough which we view work and life. Instead of thinking of them as separate, consider work assomething that is fueled by our ability to pursue our passions and find meaning in our day-to-day.To start, we need to reconsider our approach to work. Traditionally the workforce heads into theoffice Monday through Friday, from 9am-5pm, with a 30-minute lunch break, 50 weeks of theyear. And it’s viewed as something we have to do. Then we get to ‘enjoy life’ on the weekends,a few federal holidays, and two weeks of vacation.This new trend is pushing tradition out. Companies are realizing employees are happier andmore productive if they get what they want: flexibility. Flexibility in when we work. Flexibility inwhere we work. And even flexibility in how we work.Advancements in technology are making this trend a reality. New tools and services enable usto stay connected and improve productivity. There communication tools, such as Slack, Zoom,and HipChat; there are tools for project management and collaboration, such as Basecamp,Trello, and Asana; and there are even physical places, such as cove, you can go to work as afreelancer or telecommuter. These tools and services allow for us to work outside of the officeand spend less time commuting and more time doing the things we want to do.In this new paradigm, the focus is on outputs, not the number of hours put in at the office. It’sabout the individual, not the company—increasing individual happiness thereby increasesproductivity, employee retention rates, and motivation. There are a number of companies takingthe lead on this trend within their own company cultures, including Netflix, Buffer, and cove.They are combining the advancement in technology with the ability to successfully workremotely with tools and workspaces that support this rising trend in how we work. I anticipatethat we will see this trend continue, and I hope that as individuals we find fulfillment and value inevery aspect of our lives.As the marketing director for cove, Erin Gifford develops and oversees corporate marketingstrategies, public relations strategies, content marketing, and corporate communications. Shewas hired as cove’s second full-time employee in January 2014, just before the launch of thecompany’s second location. Erin built cove’s marketing and community strategies from theground up and has been an integral player in growing cove’s team and launching in Boston, itssecond market. Erin holds a BA from UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Media and Journalism.https://cove.is/indexPhoto credit: courtesy of cove, taken by Dustin Oakley.'