What Is Work Life Balance, Again?

As a senior leader, much of your time is often scheduled for you.

Reflecting on your situation, would you say that your effectiveness and satisfaction at work and in your family life are aligned with your priorities?

If so, according to Greenhaus, Allen and Spector (2006), you’ve achieved the elusive work-life balance.

Work life balance is the degree to which an individual's effectiveness and satisfaction in the roles of work and family domain are well-matched with the individual's life priorities. - Greenhaus, Allen and Spector (2006)

If not, then the following 33 quotes from prominent figures in various fields and industries about the importance of work life balance are exactly what you need to read today. Let’s dive in! 

Quotes on What C-Suite Leaders Have Learned About Work Life Balance

1. Evan Williams, Former Cofounder and CEO of Twitter

"When you don’t sleep, eat crap, don’t exercise, and are living off adrenaline for too long, your performance suffers. Your decisions suffer. Your company suffers."

2. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook and Meta Platforms

"I spend most of my time thinking about how to connect the world and serve our community better, but a lot of that time isn't in our office or meeting with people or doing what you'd call real work."

3. Marissa Mayer, Former President and CEO of Yahoo

"You can’t have everything you want, but you can have the things that really matter to you."

4. Sheryl Sandberg, Former COO of Meta Platforms

"Framing the issue of work life balance – as if the two were dramatically opposed – practically ensures work will lose out. Who would ever choose work over life?"

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5. Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO of SalesForce

"I believe a balanced life is essential, and I try to make sure that all of our employees know that and live that way."

6. John Halstead, Founder of AI/ML Financial Strategist

"By proactively setting boundaries and creating clear separations between work and personal life, we can strike a fulfilling balance."

7. Velera Wilson, Founder and CEO of Positive Identity

"Creating boundaries at work will enhance not only your professional life, but personal life as well. The key is to clearly communicate those limits and stick to them."

Work-Life Balance Quotes from HR Leaders' Perspectives

8. Karyn Rhodes, VP/Senior Director, HR Solutions of isolved

"HR teams and business leaders play a crucial role in fostering a culture with a sustainable work-life balance."

9. Dave Ulrich, HR Expert and Author, The HR Scorecard

"Work-life balance comes by not just managing time, allocating scarce time to the proper priorities, or by juggling multiple tasks, but by bundling work and life tasks as well."

10. Tracy Brower, HR Expert and Author, The Secrets to Happiness at Work

"Reduce the pressure to accomplish perfect work life balance. Sometimes you’ll spend more time on work and sometimes you’ll spend more time on home-related responsibilities."

11. Evan Williams, Former Cofounder and CEO of Twitter

"Failure of your company is not failure in life. Failure in your relationship is."

12. Grant Clough, Talent Acquisition Leader of Cherry Bekaert

"Building a schedule that works for you and helps you achieve a healthy work-life blend requires considering your personal priorities."

Quotes on Why Work Life Balance Matters

13. Heather Schuck, Author, The Working Mom Manifesto

"You will never feel truly satisfied by work until you are satisfied by life."

14. Cara Delevingne, Actress

"When you have balance in your life, work becomes an entirely different experience."

15. Sydney J. Harris, Journalist

"Many people know how to work hard; many others know how to play well; but the rarest talent in the world is the ability to introduce elements of playfulness into work, and to put some constructive labor into our leisure."

16. Harold Kushner, Rabbi and Author

"No one on his deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time at the office."

17. Marilyn Monroe, Actress

"A career is wonderful, but you can’t curl up with it on a cold night."

18. Sydney J. Harris, Journalist

"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."

19. Steve Blank, Author, The Startup Owner's Manual

Work-Life Balance Quotes Offering Practical Advice

20. Dolly Parton, Actress

"Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life."

21. Gustave Flaubert, Author, Madame Bovary

"Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work."

22. Céline Dion, Musical Artist

"The hardest thing to find in life is balance – especially, the more success you have, the more you look to the other side of the gate."

23. Mother Teresa, Catholic Missionary and Nun

"If you want to change the world, go home and love your family."

24. Charles Buxton, Former Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom

"You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you just make it."

25. Stephen Gillett, Chairman, President and CEO of Verily

"Invest in your work-life balance. Time with friends and family is as important as time at work. Getting that out of balance is a path toward unhappiness."

26. Michelle Obama, Former First Lady of the United States

"We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.”

27. Katie Thurmes, Cofounder of Artifact Uprising

"You can’t do a good job if your job is all you do."

28. Oprah Winfrey, Talk Show Host and TV Producer

Quotes on Common Misconceptions about Work Life Balance

29. Hillary Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of State

"Don’t confuse having a career with having a life."

30. Arianna Huffington, Cofounder and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post‍

"We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work instead of the quality of time we put in."

31. Andrew Wilkinson, Founder of MetaLab and Cofounder of Tiny

"You don’t have to make yourself miserable to be successful. Success isn’t about working hard, it’s about working smart."

32. Caterina Fake, Cofounder of Flickr

“So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.”

33. Stephen R Covey, Educator and Author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Work Life Balance Statistics You Should Know

Statistics have repeatedly shown that one of the most effective ways to achieve work life balance is by adopting hybrid or remote working models. A survey by FlexOS found that 53% of managers reported improved work life balance for their employees when given the option to work in hybrid or remote teams.

(We have work from home quotes for you, too.)

A Ford research study found that 52% of employees worldwide are willing to reduce 20% of their paychecks for a better work life balance. 77% of surveyed employees said they “prioritize a balanced personal life over advancement at work.” 

Coincidentally, 77% of employees experienced burnout at least once in their current job, according to a Deloitte study about workplace burnout.

Another Canadian survey showed that to most employees (84%), having a good work life balance is more important than climbing the corporate ladder, which is aligned with data from another research from The Muse in 2023, which found that 83% of survey participants said they would accept a lower-paying job if it offered a better work life balance.

Additionally, 56% of respondents value work life balance so highly that no salary increase would make them sacrifice it.

The Importance of Hybrid and Remote Work Options in Maintaining Work-Life Balance

The latest data from a Randstad study in 2023 also found 94% of respondents believed work life balance is important, and 61% of employees would not accept a job if it disrupted their work life balance. 

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Meanwhile, a FlexJobs survey from 2022 found that 84% of respondents said having a remote or hybrid job would make them a happier person. A 2020 FlexJobs survey on work life balance also found that having a flexible work schedule helps employees improve their work life balance while reducing their stress levels.

Finally, a new study from Gallup (from May 2024) showed hybrid employees feel most connected to their organization’s mission or purpose, while fully in-office employees think the least.

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The Bottom Line

Maintaining a work life balance is not just about time management; it’s also about how you align your work and your life’s priorities daily. 

With the fact that Australia has become the latest country to give employees the right to disconnect after work hours, all these statistics tell us one thing:

Work-life balance has shifted from a buzzword to a fundamental necessity.

These quotes, however, are not just insights and inspiration. They are a call to action for you to take control and find your own balance or to help others find theirs. By doing so, you can contribute to greater happiness, productivity, and overall well-being in your workplace.

Please feel free to contact me here if you have a story to share, want to provide feedback, or ask a question.

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