“In my fifteen years of work in human resources management, the constant and consistent trend I have seen is the lack of authenticity and the disconnect between people’s work and life. It is not simply about the constant struggle to complete a day’s work without sacrificing personal priorities; or the completion of personal responsibilities without missing hours at work. It actually goes deeper than this.
It is about people’s inability to connect to work and careers in a meaningful way that enable a continuing flow of authentic expression from the home to the workplace. It seems like people live a dual and split personality between who they are at work and who they really are when their real life begins. Work is like a stage where appearances are the norm, where people play a part according to what their employers want them to be. Workplace is where real aspirations and personal goals are sacrificed in the name of continuing employment or access to good career opportunities.
In the end, the workplace is filled with disengaged people whose dreams and spirits are elsewhere in that small space of time between familial responsibility and working hours,; where their true strengths and potentials are left dormant and languishing with the hope that one day they could find expression.
There is that huge latent motivational energy in the workforce that can be unleashed with an appropriate trigger and given an environment where authentic expression can live and survive. This is possible in a culture where aspirations and goals are encouraged and where personal aspirations find congruence with the business objectives and organizational goals.
Meaningful work lives where people are able to contribute according to their strengths and where work develops their potentials. When this happens, people don’t need to hide anymore. They are free to express and develop themselves through the work that they do. They can take personal leadership in their career development as alignment is achieved between their career aspirations and the purpose of their work. There is no conflict between who they want to be at the end of the day and what they need to do to accomplish their work results. There is a continuing flow from their true persona and the persona they bring to the workplace. In this way, real work-life integration is achieved.”
Gina Cajucom, Career Strategist, Reinventing Work-Life
