Take care of children and work at the same time, why not?
The image of Elon Musk's son X Æ A-XII (Lil X) riding on his father's shoulders during a press conference at the White House in February attracted attention because children rarely appear at official events.
For Ms. Thanh Nguyen, CEO of Anphabe, that is a vivid example of the trend of "work-life integration" - the blending of work and personal life, which is on the rise globally.
Many companies with suitable work models do not require employees to go to the office to work, instead, employees can take care of children, do personal work, and complete tasks at home. As long as the employer and employee clearly agree on the boundaries so that work is completed well, while family responsibilities are also guaranteed.
In the past, human resources aimed for “work-life balance” - the separation and balance between work and life. Nowadays, the line between work and life is being blurred. “Instead of sitting at my desk at 10am, I go to a coffee shop. But at 12pm, I don’t eat lunch but work. It doesn’t matter how or where I work, as long as I complete the organization’s tasks,” Ms. Thanh analyzed.
While “work-life balance” emphasizes clear separation, keeping fixed working hours and not letting work encroach on personal time, “work-life integration” is more flexible. Employees can take care of their children and have online meetings, go to a coffee shop in the morning and make up for it at noon, or work in the evening to spend time with family during the day.
This approach leverages technology and time autonomy, allowing employees to optimize their schedules according to their needs. ManpowerGroup’s 2024 Global Work Report found that hybrid and fully remote workers reported the highest levels of work-life balance satisfaction (72%), significantly higher than full-time office workers (57%).
“Work is life and life is work,” said Ms. Thanh, affirming that “work-life integration” is an irresistible trend globally. Vietnam is no exception.
Employee Satisfaction (Source: ManpowerGroup 2024 Global Report)
| How it works | Work-life balance |
| Work in the office as prescribed | 57% |
| Work from the office at will | 62% |
| Work mainly in office | 68% |
| Working together | 72% |
| Work fully or primarily remotely | 72% |
Many large companies have quickly adopted this model. HubSpot is famous for its flexible working hours and unlimited vacation, which helps keep employee satisfaction high. Google brings lounge chairs and music into the office, allows employees to spend 20% of their working time on personal projects, encourages creativity and retains talent.
The Dark Side of Freedom
However, “work-life integration” also carries risks. Without clear regulations, connections between colleagues can be loose due to working mainly through screens, reducing direct interaction. In particular, the boundary between work and personal life can easily become too thin, causing employees to never truly “switch off” from work.
Regarding the cause, Mr. Pham Duc Tinh, Human Resources Director of Asia Light Company (HCMC) pointed out that each employee has a different schedule during the day and if they work remotely, they only maintain online connection through the laptop screen. The online workspace itself loses connection with the real world . This causes problems in the communication process between people. In the long run, this "disconnection" can be a big challenge for the organization.
According to Mr. Tinh, “work-life integration” can make the line between work and personal life too thin. This concept, although flexible, risks making workers never truly “disconnect” from work. When work and life are mixed, people easily fall into a state of continuous work without real rest, leading to burnout or reverse imbalance.
"Now I don't know when is the working time anymore. Employees text at any time or emails come at midnight, I always feel the need to respond immediately," this is what a business leader shared with Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Giang, Founder and CEO of Newing.
Thus, according to Ms. Giang, if not managed properly, “work-life integration” can easily become “work-life invasion” – when work completely invades personal life. Instead of bringing flexibility, this concept makes people feel like they have to work all the time. “This is a type of work-life integration trap and this trap is most obvious in the senior leadership group,” she told VietNamNet.
According to CEO Newing, organizations and individuals should not ask the question: Is "work-life integration" better than "work-life balance" but rather: How should each individual and business adjust to optimize their way of working?
For senior leaders, it is important to set clear boundaries. For example, not answering emails outside of working hours unless absolutely necessary, or having “prime time” during the day to focus on important tasks instead of getting caught up in a constant work cycle.
For young employees, it is important to take advantage of “work-life integration” intentionally, knowing when to focus on work and when to “shut down” to avoid burnout.
For businesses, it is necessary to build a working culture that is highly flexible but still respects personal boundaries, avoiding employees feeling pressured to always be "online".
Instead of trying to pursue a “balanced” or “integrated” model, the most important thing is that each person and organization needs to find the most optimal way of working for themselves, ensuring both work performance and maintaining mental health and quality of life.
“If the leadership is willing to change with the organization, if the system supports disciplined flexibility, and if each employee feels seen, then regardless of the model adopted, that company is still a place worth staying,” Giang said.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/het-gio-lam-sep-dung-co-goi-toi-lan-ranh-mong-manh-giua-tu-do-va-ap-luc-2430518.html
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