An online financial news magazine recently featured top business executives taking issue with the concept of work-life balance. The headline suggests that these CEO's are all work and no play. Not surprisingly, there is a little more nuance to the story; mostly these executives have simply adopted a new phrase to the same idea, such as "work-life harmony" or "work-life circle." A couple of the executives did take issue with the whole concept, but they appear to be outliers of the "robber baron" type.
At the other end of the salary range is the average office worker, embracing the definition of work-life balance to mean that you should be able to do your job and your laundry at the same time from home. The tension between bosses and employees around work from home policies has become a recurring headline. The bosses want you to come to work, the employees want to work from home. It's all very polarizing. It's not that simple, and in the end not the point. For starters, the work from home debate ignores a wide swath of people who don't have a choice, including those of us in the performing arts, since our sole purpose is to bring people together. Separation between work and home life was pretty much nonexistent for centuries; it was arguably the industrial revolution that began to sever the relationship between one's work and home life. It's only now that people are beginning to realize that isn't such a great idea.
Lillian Mollar Gilbreth, born in 1878, was a pioneering industrial engineer and psychologist, recognized for her significant contributions to efficiency and workplace management. Her groundbreaking work alongside her husband, Frank Gilbreth, revolutionized the field of time-motion studies and industrial engineering.
After Frank's passing in 1924, Lillian continued their work and expanded the scope to include psychology and organizational management. She became the first female member of the Society of Industrial Engineers and later a professor at Purdue University.
Lillian and Frank were also the parents of 12 children (11 of which are on the cover photo of this post). The children were the subjects of a variety of fascinating time-motion studies which helped the couple refine their theories of workplace efficiency. Lillian also applied her time management principles to the home; she worked with builders and manufacturers to design more efficient kitchens and was key in creating efficiencies in the home that were instrumental in providing opportunities for women to earn a living outside the home. Lillian Gilbreth left an indelible mark on the fields of industrial engineering and psychology through her innovative methodologies and relentless pursuit of efficiency and better work environments.
Two of Frank and Lillian's children wrote a book about their experience growing up in this dynamic household. The book was eventually made into a movie, Cheaper by the Dozen with Myrna Loy and Clifton Webb. It's a fun movie, but as a reflection of the 1950's it diminishes Lillian's contributions to the field. Two remakes and one sequel later go even farther from the original spirit of Lillian's work.
Back in the real world, the research around work-life balance has evolved; the favored term is now work-life interface. In the words of researchers Grawitch and Barber, it's not about balance, it's about resource allocation. How much of your time do you spend at work, including thinking about work while off the job? What are the stressors of your home life, and how do you mitigate those stressors while trying to earn a living, advance your goals, and explore your best self? Seen in this light, it's not about the employee/employer relationship; it's about how you make your own choices to live your best life. This is the essence of Lillian's work that evolved into the field of study it is today.
Some of us in the performing arts industry often struggle with work-life interface issues more than in other fields. In our commitment to the creative industry, some of us are at risk of losing sight of the values that make life worth living. The all consuming "starving for my art" narrative should be rejected in favor of the holistic view of who we are as creative people and how that fits into our life as a whole. I think Lillian would agree.
If you really want to nerd out on the subject, professors Kayvan Miri Lavassani and Bahar Movahedi have dug deep into the theory to help us better understand what the integration of our work into our lives really means. Check it out in the Hobnail Library if you're a member, or at the link below.