These days it is difficult to find a good balance between work and personal life. We all complain about not having enough time for ourselves and our families because global dynamics keep us busy.
You might think the solution is simple. Find a new job with better work-life balance, right? If you’re thinking about changing jobs for better work-life balance, you need to be sure. Achieving better work-life balance isn’t always easy. Different companies have different reputations, and people often have strong opinions about them.
Key Factors to Consider for Work-Life Balance
Industry Impact on Work-Life Balance
First, consider the industry. The industry plays a crucial role in determining how busy you will be. In some industries, you have time to plan your work, while in others, there’s much less time.
When I worked in industrial automation product R&D, it was better organized. Industrial automation products need to last for 30-40 years on the customer site. The product development life cycle spans across 4-5 years. While work could be complex, there is some opportunity for planning.
But, in the automotive market, things move fast. It’s a competitive industry, and the product development cycle is very short. For many customers, you have to deliver your product within one year from the start.
In web development and other fast-changing sectors, there’s less time for planning.
The Role of the Organization
Many believe some companies offer better work-life balance, and there’s truth to this. It is due to several reasons. Companies comfortable with lower profits can afford more staff, reducing individual workloads. But, ambitious companies focused on profitability may expect more from each employee.
A word of caution is: if you work for a laid-back company, you will develop such a culture. This could affect your competitiveness in the job market.
Then, there’s the organizational structure and culture. There are fancy organization structures. In complex structures, achieving the same task requires much more effort. A lot of energy goes into pushing the work, dealing with many managers and reports. If you have an opportunity in a company with less bureaucracy, it might be a good idea to accept it.
But watch out for other factors I’ve mentioned.
The Significance of Your Role
Finally, a very important factor in work-life balance is the role. If you have a critical role with a lot of money at stake, you will be very busy. A less critical role with longer response times allows for better planning. Working with your company’s largest customer will impact your work-life balance. Your management will focus on the largest customer. If you are in a critical role, you will definitely receive weekend calls as well.
Regardless of your company’s reputation in the job market, you’ll be very busy. I have seen that different roles across the same company have different pressure levels.
Questions to Ask During the Interview
Now, let’s discuss the specific questions you may want to ask during the interview. These questions will help you learn about the job and the team you might join.
- How many hours have team members worked on average last week?
- How many releases or customer deliveries did this team handle in the past week?
- What is the work-from-home policy? How many team members worked from home last week?
- How often do you have overseas interactions across time zones? Global meetings with people from Asia, India, Europe, and the USA can change your work hours.
- What is the average time for delivery from the time the customer request comes? Many times customer requests come with a 3-hour deadline to finish. Then there are times where you have several months to deliver.
- How many project reviews need attendance or input from your role?
These questions can help you decide if the new job will offer the work-life balance you want.
Seek Insights from Industry Contacts
You might also want to talk to friends or colleagues in the industry for their perspective.
Conclusion: Making an Informed Decision
With these considerations, you can guess what your work-life might be in the job you are considering.
