The Challenges of Achieving Work-Life Balance in India

23 of May, 2023

Let’s be honest, work-life balance is difficult to achieve anywhere, but it’s especially challenging in India. Despite the fact that more than 70% of Indians are employed in the informal sector—and have access to increasingly flexible work-arrangements—they are almost equally as likely as their international counterparts to experience burnout.

But things don’t have to be this way. When businesses manage their workforce correctly, they can help employees achieve a healthier work-life balance in India.

In this article, you’ll learn the different challenges of achieving work-life balance in India and how Sesame’s HR software can help your organization overcome them with tools like People Analytics. Let’s start!

Long Working Hours and Commute Times Impact Work-Life Balance

Long working hours and lengthy commutes have become an unfortunate part of the work landscape in India. The number of hours worked each week is frequently on the rise, often exceeding 50 hours for those in higher-level positions.

Along with this increase in hours worked come longer commute times, with business related travel often taking up a large chunk of the day between road congestion and inefficient public transportation. This leaves less time for activities outside of work, such as spending quality time with family and friends, or simply taking a few moments to relax and recharge.

Cultural norms that view workaholism as an admirable trait, coupled with a lack of employers offering flexible options or incentives for meaningful breaks, exacerbate the challenge of achieving a true work-life balance.

Even when employers offer an occasional holiday or option to work from home, these choices may not actually be feasible due to the nature of many jobs in India which demand long hours and on-site presence. A true shift towards achieving a better work-life balance must start with understanding its importance, both from the standpoint of employers and employees.

Lack of Boundaries Between Work and Personal Life

The idea of work-life balance is difficult to achieve in India for a variety of reasons, one of which is the lack of boundaries between work and personal life. In India, it’s not uncommon for the workplace to invade your personal life—both physically and mentally.

For starters, it’s typical for employees to dedicate very long hours at work. This could mean working through evenings and weekends, which leaves no time for leisure activities or rest.

Additionally, even outside of work hours, employees are expected to remain reachable and responsive at all times. As such, many people find themselves checking emails or catching up on work during their free time, never truly being able to “check out” from their jobs.

These demands blur the boundary line between work and personal life. As a result, workers often feel overwhelmed and burnout while organizations suffer from poor engagement and productivity levels.

Strong Family Bonds Can Lead to Difficulty Balancing Work and Home Life

Taking control of your work-life balance in India can be a challenge, and one of the main reasons is due to strong family bonds. Even though family obligations can bring meaning and joy to life, ineffective management of expectations around these obligations can result in difficulty balancing work and home life.

For example, many family members expect their relatives to fulfill duties like babysitting, helping aging family members, or attending large family gatherings regularly which can interfere with work commitments. Additionally, you may feel guilty when you have work commitments interfering with family responsibilities.

The pressure that comes from family expectations can make it hard for you to succeed professionally and lead a balanced lifestyle. But if you take the time to set clear boundaries between work and home life, you’ll be able to manage your expectations better and have a more positive experience overall.

With the right HR software like Sesame, you’ll be able to create policies that help your team manage their personal commitments alongside their professional ones so they can find balance in their lives without sacrificing either side.

Limited Availability of Childcare and Household Help

In India, it is common for both parents to work, and for only one parent to work if they have a single-income household. But it’s not always easy for families to find affordable childcare or household help. And with limited availability of this type of support, it can be a challenge to make sure you’re balancing both your work and home life.

What can you do about this?

Ask your workplace

One option is to ask your workplace if they offer any kind of childcare benefits. It’s becoming more and more common for companies to provide parental leave, flexible work hours, onsite daycare centers, and other options that can help employees manage their work-life balance.

Look into online resources

Another way to find childcare and household help in India is through online resources. There are several websites that specialize in connecting parents with reliable childcare providers or household staff – so you can find the right person for the job without having to go through long applications and interviews.

Whether you’re a business owner looking for solutions for your employees or an individual looking for ways to achieve your own work-life balance in India, don’t forget that there are resources out there that can help.

Cultural Expectations Around Prioritizing Work Over Personal Life

Cultural expectations in India can often lead to the idea that it’s more important to prioritize work over personal life. This can be a huge challenge when it comes to achieving a work-life balance, as many people feel pressured to put their career before other commitments or obligations.

For example, many workers feel like they need to stay late at the office, even if there’s no real reason for them to do so. They’re afraid that if they leave early, or take breaks for personal activities, they won’t be seen as “dedicated” or “committed” enough by their employers.

What’s more, in some cultures and communities there is an expectation that people should be the “breadwinner” of the family and bring home a certain amount of money each month—so taking time off for personal activities can be seen as irresponsible.

To make matters worse, certain social pressure makes it difficult to discuss these challenges openly with peers and supervisors. This is due in part to the fact that talking about these issues is still considered taboo in some parts of India—and some people may feel embarrassed asking for help from their superiors.

Steps Companies Can Take to Promote Work-Life Balance

Do you want to help your employees achieve a better work-life balance, but are not sure what steps to take? Absolutely, there are some tangible steps companies can take in order to promote work-life balance. Let’s look at a few:

Set clear boundaries

Setting boundaries has always been important, but with the combination of remote working and WFH policies, it’s increasingly essential. Companies should clarify standard working hours and proactively discuss with employees in advance the possibility of working beyond the standard office hours. This helps employees manage their expectations and create better boundaries between their work life and personal life.

Encourage taking time off

It’s important that teams understand that it’s possible to accomplish projects without having everyone working all the time; taking some much-needed rest is beneficial both for personal health and for productivity. Companies should encourage employees to use their holidays, as well as suggest activities during breaks that can help them relax and de-stress.

Utilize reliable HR Software

Utilizing an HR software platform like Sesame can make it much easier for companies and their employees to keep track of vacation days, flexi days, parental leave days, etc. Automated solutions make sure that everything is accounted for accurately and also eliminate paperwork which can be both time consuming and cumbersome.