<ul>
<li>In the 1700s and 1800s, workdays were long, and conditions were rough and sometimes dangerous. Older adults worked 12-hour days well past the last quarter of their lives.</li>
<li>In the late 1800s, the age of mass production caused improved working conditions as businesses scaled, and the idea of working and retiring emerged. Now, you worked for 8 to 10 hours a day and could spend the rest of your time with family and friends.</li>
<li>With the digital revolution, these worlds started to merge out of choice.</li>
</ul>

How the work-life evolved

Some people want to work for high performing teams and be great leaders and teammates. But others don't want their lives defined by their work.
They prefer to pursue careers that provide more autonomy and freedom, even if it means getting paid less or letting go of their job titles. They realise that they don't need to be in an office five or six days per week to be effective - they are far more effective working half as much from home.

Work post-pandemic

Businesses will need to rethink how they engage, motivate and support their employees. <ul><li>Companies will need to explore different employment contracts, such as the 11-month contract of the 4-day workweek. Maybe even focus on effectiveness based on quality, not time.</li><li>The future office space might be local pop-ups and offsite venues where employees meet periodically.</li><li>Or maybe it still includes office life and regular working hours.</li></ul> In the end, the future of work may be about having a choice.

Rethinking work

<h2>In the future of work, the “life” portion comes first, and the work comes second. Even if it means taking a pay cut or letting go of their fancy job title.
</h2><figure><picture><source media="(max-width: 40em)"><img width="705" height="396" alt="Why it’s time to stop saying “my work is my life”​" srcset="https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_562, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/ar_16:9, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/c_fill, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/g_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/f_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/q_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2021/08/p-1-why-its-time-to-stop-saying-my-work-is-my-lifee2808b.jpg 562w, https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_937, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/ar_16:9, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/c_fill, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/g_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/f_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/q_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2021/08/p-1-why-its-time-to-stop-saying-my-work-is-my-lifee2808b.jpg 937w, https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_1153, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/ar_16:9, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/c_fill, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/g_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/f_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/q_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90663043/fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2021/08/p-1-why-its-time-to-stop-saying-my-work-is-my-lifee2808b.jpg 1153w"></picture></figure><div class="caption">[Photo: Beli_photos/iStock]
</div>We are a long way away from the Industrial Revolution.<div>advertisement</div>In the 1700s and 1800s, work life was hard: Days were long. Working conditions were rough and oftentimes dangerous. Facilities were unsafe. Children were often forced to work in precarious situations, and older adults were still working 12-hour days well into the last quarter of their lives. All of this put an immense strain on people’s personal lives.Then, in the late 1800s, we entered an age of mass production. This was one of the first times “leverage” could be seen in everyday life—and slowly, people began to see a light at the end of the tunnel. As work conditions improved and businesses scaled, the concept of “working to one day retire” was born. One might also say this was the beginning of “work-life balance.” You worked for 8 to 10 hours per day, and you spent the rest of your time with your family and friends.The digital revolution is when these two worlds began to intermingle.<div>advertisement</div>Google, Facebook, and other tech giants began to create minicities for their employees that less resembled the industrial production facilities of the 1800s and felt more like an all-inclusive college campus. This was the first time in history that work life and personal life had become completely intertwined—and not out of necessity, but convenience and choice. Google was one of the first companies to offer its employees the freedom to dress casually, get their clothes dry-cleaned, provide meals, offer hangout spaces and events, and more. And frankly, many people loved it.Which brings us to today, post-pandemic, and thousands of employees from one of the most valuable and respected companies in the world,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/06/05/apple-employees-wrote-a-letter-to-ceo-tim-cook-saying-why-they-dont-want-to-return-to-the-office/?sh=3ca0eeb96418" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Apple, refusing to go back to the office</a>.<h2>The future of work is optional</h2>Some people certainly want to work for high-performing teams and are willing to commit their lives to be great teammates, leaders, executives, or even founders. However, many other people (especially coming out of the pandemic) have come to the opposite conclusion: They do not want their lives defined by their work.<div>advertisement</div><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/technology/welcome-to-the-yolo-economy.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">The New York Times calls this “the Yolo Economy.”</a>&nbsp;Now, more than ever, employees are making conscious decisions to leave their jobs and pursue careers that give them more autonomy, freedom, and life-work balance—where the “life” portion comes first, and the work comes second. Even if it means taking a pay cut or letting go of their fancy job title.They would rather feel fulfilled across many aspects of their lives than be “conventionally successful.”<figure><picture><img alt="Fast Company announces details of seventh annual innovation festival" src="https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/wp-cms/uploads/2021/07/poster-fast-company-innovation-festival-annoucement-2021.jpg"></picture></figure>The question this raises is whether we have ever measured ourselves and work accurately before?<div>advertisement</div>Google, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft, any major company in the world (as well as the vast majority of small businesses) would like you to believe that your work is the most important thing in your life. Sure, you may have family and friends. Yes, you can love them very much. But your actions must show that you are committed to your job, first. It’s your mission. It’s your purpose.But does that mean you actually work harder and generate more profit for the company?The future of work is optional because many people are coming to the realization that, no, their job does not need to be their sole mission in life. No, they don’t need to show up to an office five or even six days per week in order to be an effective employee or leader. In fact, they can be incredibly effective working half as much–from home, while traveling, in the context of more freedom.<div>advertisement</div>As more and more people begin to see work in the context of their life, instead of their life in the context of their work, businesses all over the world are going to need to rethink the ways they engage, motivate, and support their employees.<UL><LI>Maybe “full-time” and “part-time” become things of the past. Our working lives shouldn’t be defined by our to-date limited imagination of employment contracts. Companies will start to explore the 11-month contract, the 4-day workweek, and the immense spectrum between freelance and full-time. We may even move away from measuring employee effectiveness based on time altogether (and instead focus only on the quality of the result).</LI><LI>Maybe the future of office space is local pop-ups. Maybe it’s offsite venues, where employees gather periodically throughout the year. Maybe office campuses return to being offices and not the lifestyles they were before.</LI><LI>Maybe the new “American Dream” will not be defined by a high-paying office job with a retirement account, a house in the suburbs, and two cars in the driveway, but instead be defined by having a 100% remote career, no house or mortgage, no car, and unencumbered freedom.</LI><LI>Or maybe for some, the “American Dream” still includes office life, regular working hours, and stability. That’s okay too. But ultimately, the best future of work is the one that works for you.</LI></UL>Maybe the future of work is having the choice.Bree Grof is a speaker, change agent, and partner at <a href="https://www.sypartners.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">SYPartners</a>.<div>advertisement</div>This <a href="https://minutes.co/in-the-future-of-work-work-is-demoted-why-the-era-of-my-work-is-my-life%E2%80%8B-is-over/" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">article</a> originally appeared in <a href="https://minutes.co/" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Minutes</a> and is reprinted with permission.

In the future of work, the “life” portion comes first, and the work comes second. Even if it means taking a pay cut or letting go of their fancy job title.


career

Career

In the future of work, the “life” portion comes first, and the work comes second. Even if it means taking a pay cut or letting go of their fancy job title.

We are a long way away from the Industrial Revolution.

In the 1700s and 1800s, work life was hard: Days were long. Working conditions were rough and oftentimes dangerous. Facilities were unsafe. Children were often forced to work in precarious situations, and older adults were still working 12-hour days well into the last quarter of their lives. All of this put an immense strain on people’s personal lives.

Then, in the late 1800s, we entered an age of mass production. This was one of the first times “leverage” could be seen in everyday life—and slowly, people began to see a light at the end of the tunnel. As work conditions improved and businesses scaled, the concept of “working to one day retire” was born. One might also say this was the beginning of “work-life balance.” You worked for 8 to 10 hours per day, and you spent the rest of your time with your family and friends.

The digital revolution is when these two worlds began to intermingle.

Google, Facebook, and other tech giants began to create minicities for their employees that less resembled the industrial production facilities of the 1800s and felt more like an all-inclusive college campus. This was the first time in history that work life and personal life had become completely intertwined—and not out of necessity, but convenience and choice. Google was one of the first companies to offer its employees the freedom to dress casually, get their clothes dry-cleaned, provide meals, offer hangout spaces and events, and more. And frankly, many people loved it.

Which brings us to today, post-pandemic, and thousands of employees from one of the most valuable and respected companies in the world, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/06/05/apple-employees-wrote-a-letter-to-ceo-tim-cook-saying-why-they-dont-want-to-return-to-the-office/?sh=3ca0eeb96418">Apple, refusing to go back to the office </a>.

Some people certainly want to work for high-performing teams and are willing to commit their lives to be great teammates, leaders, executives, or even founders. However, many other people (especially coming out of the pandemic) have come to the opposite conclusion: They do not want their lives defined by their work.

<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/technology/welcome-to-the-yolo-economy.html">The New York Times calls this “the Yolo Economy.” </a> Now, more than ever, employees are making conscious decisions to leave their jobs and pursue careers that give them more autonomy, freedom, and life-work balance—where the “life” portion comes first, and the work comes second. Even if it means taking a pay cut or letting go of their fancy job title.

They would rather feel fulfilled across many aspects of their lives than be “conventionally successful.”

The question this raises is whether we have ever measured ourselves and work accurately before?

Google, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft, any major company in the world (as well as the vast majority of small businesses) would like you to believe that your work is the most important thing in your life. Sure, you may have family and friends. Yes, you can love them very much. But your actions must show that you are committed to your job, first. It’s your mission. It’s your purpose.

But does that mean you actually work harder and generate more profit for the company?

The future of work is optional because many people are coming to the realization that, no, their job does not need to be their sole mission in life. No, they don’t need to show up to an office five or even six days per week in order to be an effective employee or leader. In fact, they can be incredibly effective working half as much–from home, while traveling, in the context of more freedom.

As more and more people begin to see work in the context of their life, instead of their life in the context of their work, businesses all over the world are going to need to rethink the ways they engage, motivate, and support their employees.

<ul><li>Maybe “full-time” and “part-time” become things of the past. Our working lives shouldn’t be defined by our to-date limited imagination of employment contracts. Companies will start to explore the 11-month contract, the 4-day workweek, and the immense spectrum between freelance and full-time. We may even move away from measuring employee effectiveness based on time altogether (and instead focus only on the quality of the result). </li><li>Maybe the future of office space is local pop-ups. Maybe it’s offsite venues, where employees gather periodically throughout the year. Maybe office campuses return to being offices and not the lifestyles they were before. </li><li>Maybe the new “American Dream” will not be defined by a high-paying office job with a retirement account, a house in the suburbs, and two cars in the driveway, but instead be defined by having a 100% remote career, no house or mortgage, no car, and unencumbered freedom. </li><li>Or maybe for some, the “American Dream” still includes office life, regular working hours, and stability. That’s okay too. But ultimately, the best future of work is the one that works for you. </li> </ul>

Maybe the future of work is having the choice.

Bree Grof is a speaker, change agent, and partner at <a href="https://www.sypartners.com/">SYPartners </a>.

This <a href="https://minutes.co/in-the-future-of-work-work-is-demoted-why-the-era-of-my-work-is-my-life%E2%80%8B-is-over/">article </a>originally appeared in <a href="https://minutes.co/">Minutes </a>and is reprinted with permission.

Why it’s time to stop saying “my work is my life”

How the work-life evolved

Work post-pandemic

Rethinking work

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Why it’s time to stop saying “my work is my life”​

How the work-life evolved

Work post-pandemic

Rethinking work

CURATED BY

Related collections

More like this

Why it’s time to stop saying “my work is my life”