The post-pandemic era has hyped the discussion from work-life balance to work-life integration. The transition during this phase and post has not been easy; it is like a bumpy ride and the effects remain evident. Earlier, the work was explicitly-divided concerning gender, but the changing times expect a swift switching between roles. The organisational identities could no longer be worn as a crown at home; and the homemaker tags are no longer justified to be used for women. The transition of work culture was evident and necessary to cope during these challenging times. The famous saying, “Everything is a matter of perspective”, saw a shift. The perception of women being at home and ideating that they are doing nothing is hard to accept. Staying home on a normal day for a working professional was mostly around 33% of a whole day, most of which is spent sleeping and in daily chores, for which being judgmental about a homemaker who stays round the clock back at home was easy.
During the pandemic, the allotted time to be back at home became 100% from 33%, giving hands-on experience to companions and family members about each other’s responsibilities and importance. The change of perspective was initiated in this phase for most individuals, where one could experience another’s life irrespective of the workplace. Times were tough, but the lessons learnt are firm. Gender-related identities were shattered as the time demanded a switching of roles. Men were no longer asked, “What made you stay so long at work?” Women weren’t asked, “What did you do the whole day other than mere household chores?”
Speaking about the changing perspective, one could understand that no one was doing more and neither other one was doing less. Earlier, maternity leave was considered a vacation, but staying back at home on an extended vacation gave people a comprehensive feeling that staying back is more than just a vacation, rather a taxing challenge where the responsibility multiplies and the duty hour is not for a stipulated period. People understood that giving birth is also a form of contribution and a boon which is just 2.05% (fertility rate) in the country.
Everyone contributes their share of responsibility and rushing to work or staying home doesn’t make much difference. Instead, it is about flexibility coupled with harmonythat increases efficiency. One can comprehend that the load is not just on one individual’s arm but shared. When one works towards breadwinning, the other strives for care giving. The day is not far when both responsibilities will be treated equally important; the gender roles will not be fixated and companionship will be about equals and not like authoritarian parenting. The change in perspective is the need of the hour for organisations and individuals to sustain. The result of this change will be promoting “Vasudhaiva Kuntumbakam” (the whole world is one family), which every firm (in the form of organisational citizenship behaviour) and household (in the form of a sense of belongingness) strives to achieve.
A home is a place where one wishes to come back. It would be a beautiful destination only where the efforts would be acknowledged rather than being fixated on prioritising gender role performances. The change is a step towards work-life integration, making a transitional shift from work-life balance. It is about equality in the workforce and building a conducive ecosystem at home keeping in mind that “charity begins at home” contributes to equity and blurs the work-gender role identity. This ideology shows a rise in happy families and increased productivity. It breaks the chain of gender role association by building a beautiful world and a pleasant place to live in.
Alisha Rath, Doctoral Scholar (HRM), School of Human Resource Management, XIM University, Bhubaneswar. Email: alisha@stu.xim.edu.in
Lalatendu Kesari Jena, Associate Professor (HRM), School of Human Resource Management
XIM University, Bhubaneswar. Email: lkjena@xim.edu.in