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Is work-life balance actually a con?



Are candidates who are job hunting, naive in expecting that every organisation frames wellbeing in exactly the same way? Is it fair to categorise organisations infamous for their long-hours cultures as bad or toxic cultures?


This week’s guest argues against this widely accepted orthodoxy. His opinion is that instead of the onus being on the employer to change their culture to fit the candidate, the candidate should instead seek roles that offer the work-life integration they desire.


William Tincup is the President & Editor at large of Recruiting Daily the world’s number 1 online site for recruitment content. William is at the intersection of work and technology, he’s a writer, speaker, advisor, consultant, investor, podcaster & storyteller. William serves on the Board for 20+ HR technology startups. And He’s been writing about HR and Recruiting related issues for longer than he cares to disclose.


Lastly, the purpose of this show has always been to look under the bonnet of wellbeing and challenge some of the accepted norms. If you disagree with William, tell us why. We’d love to hear from you. But first have a listen.




How should organisations respond to financial wellbeing? [02:23] Tincup argues that it’s imperative that organisations respond to the cost of living crisis. He cites a move towards more flexible pay processes such as daily pay instead of weekly or monthly. He also argues the cost of living crisis is an opportunity for HR to get much closer to the employee through a focus on wellbeing.


Leaders need to model behaviour [05.50] Leaders who display their work ethic by being seen as the first person in and the last person out and expect the same of others are being unreasonable unless of course reward (pay) is equal.


Work-life balance does not exist [06:32] According to Tincup, there is no such thing as a work-life balance, instead it’s trying to integrate the two aspects of your life. At [07:50], Tincup cites the New York Times article decrying the supposedly poor culture at Amazon. He goes on to say that in most instances work cultures are neither good nor bad – they either fit you or they don’t.


The generation gap [10:37] Gen Z and millennials are Tincup argues, far better at sussing out whether an organisational culture will integrate with their life goals and ambitions. He believes the pandemic had a major influence on how this cohort thinks about life and work.


The world of work has changed for forever [16:00] The pandemic Tincup argues has changed the world of work forever. Many workers now feel enabled to work as they wish to work something that feels was only open to the most talented in a workforce.


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