From work-life balance to work-life integration?

Relaxed working hours, beanbags for chairs, free food, open workspace, unlimited days vacation are few things that run through our mind when we think about companies in Silicon Valley right.

Companies like Apple and Google have taken this game to a whole new level though and with a strong purpose too. But en-route to this hip and happening work culture, they have confused work with the rest of life. Hierarchies are a thing of the past, I mean how can there be a hierarchy with job roles like “Superman” and “IceMan”. And coworkers are supposed to feel like family?, a culture that is non-existent in the west.

But doesn't all of this sound just too good to be true? I agree to the fact that there has been positive disruptive changes to offices spaces and way of working, but my question is, how does it affect your productivity and personal life?

While employees have been pushing for work-life balance, companies in the valley have been rather successful in perfecting work-life integration. If you thought freebies and disruptive practices were cool, think again. It has turned out to be a classic case of companies making employees stay at work for longer hours and getting more out of them. I mean why else would a company have GYM’s, napping stations, free meals and even on-site massage centers?

Thanks to Silicon Valley, there is no longer a barrier between work and life, its biggest impact I’d say. Though companies like Apple and Google encourage employees to take risk, bring in their own thoughts and imaginations to work, there is totally flip side to it. Everyone seem to work all the time and that boundary between work and life starts vanishing.

Unlimited vacations don’t really contribute to a relaxed and productive workforce, majority actually have come back complaining that they were forced to get on a call or send emails while at it. Free dinners can make employees stay at office for longer, but would they be at their productive best? Nap stations can be a good way to take a break at work, but employees end up staying at the office all through out the day and night too.

Modern day companies are obsessed with growth and profits. They don’t mind sidelining their employees to achieve this either. And what part of these profits do employees get? Some may get peanuts in term of stock options, a slender percentage of what is taken back by angels and investors. The freebies does a fantastic job here by covering for what is being taken away from the employees. It tricks them into thinking that the company is a cool, hip and happening place to work.

This work culture has been so different that many of the traditional companies are redoing their traditional office spaces to give it a Silicon Valley-esque look and feel. Rise in profits and attracting top talent are few things that they plan on addressing with such contemporary changes. But are they ready for the real disruption that comes along with it?

What was once a 9 to 6 job is now 996. That is 9AM to 9PM, 6 days a week. Folks back in Silicon Valley are feeling the heat, startups are reporting escalating attrition rates. Bosse’s and employees are not really on the same page anymore. And an investigation by The Verge confirms this is the case with majority of Silicon Valley companies.

I really doubt work was all good and peachy back in the day. My dad would always say that his days at office used to be a mixed bag. Some days were good and some were bad. He worked in the era of cubicle maze, but he always had time for family. I don't remember him returning late from work or rather sitting late in the office (must have been mostly to do with his nature of work though). It was all about getting the work done, a true measure of efficiency according to him.

I think its time to think of the office as it used to be in an old fashioned way. Think of it as just an office, a place where you collaborate with brilliant minds, work together, get the job done and then eventually leave. Simple!