The trashing and bashing of work life balance in the face of job losses

Scattered across the digital landscape, there’s been a trend toward the trashing and bashing of work life balance. Some career experts, human resource pundits, and life coaches have been eroding confidence in the value of work life balance, or flexibility, saying that it flies in the face of conventional wisdom in a dire job market. Of course, holding on to a job is paramount as we endure the daily public dose of pink slips – but how about holding onto our sanity and avoiding burnout?

Unemployment is expected to soar dramatically by next time this year. It’s said to be on track to hit 10% in metropolitan areas across the nation, according to a report from the U.S Conference of Mayors. While optimism reigns with the advent of the Obama era, the jobless numbers are daunting. But we can’t ignore the direction of our 24/7 culture – the merging of our working and living experience – even if by default.

The merge, which I’ve dubbed our WorkLife Nation, is the result of three increasingly dominant themes.

First, we are working our tails off to secure our good standing at work, thus there’s a great blur between work and life.

Second, many are leaving the mainstream nine-to-five grind in favor of becoming entrepreneurs and taking control of their own lives, thus – working like crazy to gain market and brand strength in a weakening economy.

And the third theme is the newly sparked interest – courtesy Obama – in social capitalism – doing work that is closely aligned with one’s life passion, human core values, and service. In her Brazen Careerist blog, Penelope Trunk wrote of this theme in her post: Celebrate the inauguration by making your work an act of service in which she spoke of Generation ‘S’ the new buzz phrase for such an ideology.

The great merge is happening whether we like it or not. How we handle it is our choice. We can act from a place of fear, or proactively take more personal responsibility. The phrase ‘work life balance’ is deceiving. The semantics raises red flags in an always on, do more with less world. Perhaps that’s why it’s taking such a beating these days. Why can’t we just call it work life flexibility? Furthermore, why does it have to go out the window even in a down job market?

Work life flexibility does not have to cost money. In Cindy Krischer Goodman’s Balancing Act column in the Miami Herald, it’s time for Oprah, others to take advice, she offers some tips toward a better balancing of the work life merge.

Even with an increasing number of Employee Assistance Programs addressing work life initiatives, there’s little choice but for individuals manage their own work life fit – as my colleague Cali Williams Yost of Work+Life Fit Inc. would advise.

Just a gander at the stats on stress within the American family is enough to boost interest. A survey by Country Financial, reveals that three out of four Americans polled agreed that financial stress as the recession deepens, is leading to emotional difficulties in their family relationships.

Ultimately, the merge of the working and living experience takes thought, and requires time to figure out. It is not a destination, it is a journey. It’s a simple reality, if not attended to – us humans will burn out. As former Secretary of State Colin Powell said on CNN this morning about the incredible challenges our new president faces, he’ll have to, “Deal with the crisis of the day, but not get consumed by it.”

So it is for our work life nation.