In the complex and hyper-competitive business environment, whether you are selling services or your innovative product, you have to understand the real rational need of customers, their emotions, and connect with them to solve their problems. This is where the human-centered Design Thinking approach comes into play.

To move from sustainable innovation to disruptive innovation, we need to understand a critical aspect that emotions have a profound influence on a customer’s buying or product usage behaviors and trends. The emotional aspect has a far bigger influence on decision making compared to logic or reasoning. When the business objective is growth and decision makers are human beings, we cannot solve a problem only by using a set of analytical tools – we need to instill a design thinking culture to include the customer/user as the central focus for any problem-solving or innovation journey.

– Rajesh Bansal

Statistics on Work-Life Balance
According to www.pcma.org, following are the statistics on work-life balance:
• 57 percent of employees think that the technology has ruined the definition of a family dinner.
• 60 percent of employees blame bad bosses for the most negative impact on work-life balance.
• 38 percent of employees have missed life events because of bad work-life balance.

Hindrances
• You always have a day of weekdays where you have to submit something urgent the next day. There remains no other option but to complete it in the after hours or at home.
• You have this boss who is fond of taking meetings at the end of the office hours which are prolonged.
• Some sudden urgent request pops up from one of the reputed clients.
• Extended client engagement.

What you Miss in Life
You can always think of many important events which get sidelined because you were not available that day. It can be anything:
• Those romantic dates
• Social meetups with family and friends
• Birthdays and anniversaries of loved ones
• Workout sessions
• Pre-decided trips
• Health check-up of self and pets
• Home repairs
• Pending shopping
• Music concerts, exhibitions, plays, and movies
• Many more…..

Importance and Benefits
Work-life Balance is the most talked aspect of the life in one or the other discussion. You may call it something else but the core issue remains the same.
• A healthy work-life balance gives you a break from your monotonous routine.
• You will always get some time for yourself, family, friends, and relationships.
• You are never accused of not having time for others.
• Your wives and girlfriends will never get a chance (this is not guaranteed) to say that legendary accuse “you don’t give much time to me these days”.
• Your kids and life partners will always feel your involvement on those special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.
• You can go in search of your passion and get some time for hobby exploration as well.
• You can also involve yourself in some community work which leads to a great satisfaction.
• Even the pets have some expectations as well.

What Happens in Office, Stays in Office

How to make it possible
• Have a healthy routine for weekdays as well as weekends.
• Always come on time and leave on time.
• Start your day with organizing your tasks for the day.
• Time Management is a key to arrange some extra time for sudden office errands. Use calendars and notifications so that you are not forgetful of important tasks.
• Collaboration is very helpful in dividing bigger tasks into smaller once. This saves time and effort of a single person.
• Office meetings should have a pre-decided agenda and duration so that they are completed in time.
• Always complete the task before the deadlines instead of always pumping up the effort in the end.
• Focus only on working hours rather than justifying office hours.
• Stay away from distractions like social media, games, gossiping in the office.
• Work-life balance is not only affected by extending office work but also bringing some personal problems and work to the office. This also eats up office time.
• Have some personal expectations from yourself.

Conclusion
You should always keep in mind that you work to have a better life for yourself and your loved ones. More work can give you more money but time lost can never be recovered. Make the most of the time you get. Give your best to your work and life. Don’t just be busy but stay productive on both the fronts.

– Pankaj Kumar

I am uniquely positioned to comment on this topic. As a millennial myself, I lead a talent acquisition firm that places hundreds of jobseekers nationwide every year. Engaging and convincing candidates for opportunities is the name of the game. Yet the strategies that worked at the start of my tenure 6 years ago versus today has changed quite a bit. A significant reason is that we submit a much greater proportion of millennial profiles today. In order to attract young talent to our clients’ requirements, we must correctly gauge what they prioritize in their career goals.

As more and more Baby Boomers reach retirement, millennials will climb up the corporate ladder to fill vacancies. In fact, Deloitte’s recent survey shows that 20% of millennials hold leadership roles already and that will only continue to grow. Millennials have a huge influence on the work environment and are beginning to write the rulebook. For example, millennials strongly advocate for policies that push for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. This is likely because we are the most racially diverse generation in US history with 30% non-white millennials. The employer brand matters more to millennials as well. An organization’s vision and mission statement play an important deciding factor in where millennials choose to work. 61% of millennials are worried about the state of the world and feel personally responsible for making a difference. Millennials expect workplace flexibility and do not like to adhere to a strict 9-5 schedule. Their rationale is that they are tech savvy and “plugged in” at all times regardless of where they are located.

One common perception is that millennials are fickle, that they like to hop from job to job at the drop of a pin. As a result, many organizations avoid hiring young talent. But how can you compare generational classes within the same time period when their age ranges differ by decades? Of course, the 28-year-old novice who is tied down with less responsibilities and uncertain about his or her career pursuits will be less stable than the 53-year-old who has settled into a suitable career. Rather, if we control for age and then compare job tenure durations, then surprisingly enough, millennials actually stick around longer than Gen X according to the Pew Research Center. This misconception is causing many companies to miss out on the critical opportunity of low-cost fresh talent.

Recognizing these realities about millennial workforce expectations is necessary for a successful talent acquisition program. We actively listen to our millennial consultants to understand what excites them when searching for their next gig. On the flipside, we strive to educate our customers about such transformations in the workforce and how they can best navigate them.

 

– Akshay Gupta