IELTS Essay: Is work-life balance necessary?

Many people these days travel far for work or spend more hours working. Does this trend have more advantages or disadvantages? What do you think about work-life balance?

Model Essay

Long working hours are the norm these days and that is hardly surprising. In this competitive job scenario people are forced to work harder and harder. When people spend more hours working, they get less time for themselves. This is not necessarily a positive development because it can lead to health problems as well as the disruption of families and personal relationships.

For one thing, there is absolutely nothing to prove that long working hours improve productivity. In fact, when people work longer than they should, what happens is that their productivity decreases. They fail to concentrate and take longer to finish jobs. Traveling far for work doesn’t help either. In many major cities people often have to travel several hours to reach their work place. When at last, they reach home braving the traffic and a hard-working day, they have little energy left in them. In addition, studies have proved that people who spend long hours in the office are also more likely to develop major health problems like heart disease and dementia.

We have already seen that long working hours doesn’t necessarily translate into improved productivity. Another problem with this set up is the effect it has on a person’s family and social life. When people spend long hours in the office, they get little time to spend with their dear ones. Parents, who work long hours, often fail to take proper care of their young children. This can be quite a problem in families where both parents work. When children are deprived of the attention they deserve, it will affect their emotional well-being. It can also have a negative impact on their academic performance. In extreme cases, failure to strike a balance between work and life can lead to the breakup of families.

As explained above, long working hours are in nobody’s interest. They don’t improve an individual’s productivity. In fact, they make them less productive. What’s more, when people spend more time in the office, their family life suffers. In other words proper work-life balance is absolutely essential to lead a contented life. It is hoped that companies arrange their working hours in such a way that employees also get some time for themselves.

Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I'm Manjusha. This is my blog where I give IELTS preparation tips.