Work-life balance in IT

More and more companies understand that the right balance between work and private life has a positive effect on the employee and it allows him to better use his potential. That is why employers are betting on a work-life balance culture. The IT industry is leading the way. The concept of work-life balance appeared at the turn of the 1970s. and 80. 20th century, and its idea is based on ensuring the employee a balance between professional duties and private life.

It is about finding the right balance between work and rest, commitment and self-fulfilment outside the workplace, but also an open, flexible approach to the needs of the employee. However, modern technologies mean that traditional work-life balance approaches are beginning to change. Modern means of communication make it increasingly difficult to draw a line between work and private life. The employee stays in touch with the company even around the clock 7 days a week. Particularly vulnerable to such inconveniences are people in the IT industry, who are faced with modern technologies on a daily basis. But does this mean that in this industry you can no longer talk about a real work-life balance? Nothing like that.

Programmers and work - life balance

It is in it that solutions and technologies are most often implemented that allow flexible shaping not only of working time, but also of its form. It is not uncommon for individual tasks to be carried out by employees located in different locations. Increasingly, IT companies are also implementing policies BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), which allows you to use the mobile devices of employees in the workplace and for the needs of professional duties, at the same time intensifying the trend of teleworking.

However, it is worth noting that the increasing importance of work-life balance in it is also related to the limited supply of highly qualified candidates. Increasingly, companies have to compete for employees not only the amount of wages offered, but also additional benefits. Most often, information about work-life balance appears in ads aimed at candidates for such positions as software developer, Web Application Developer, Java developer, programmer or tester.

What is behind the work-life balance?

In individual IT companies, the term work-life balance actually conceals various benefits for employees. The most popular are flexible working hours, which can be adapted to your own needs. This solution is especially useful for parents who bring their children to school or for those who want to avoid rush hours and the accompanying traffic jams. Flexible working hours also allow you to easier to pursue different passions or take care of an active lifestyle (e.g. regular morning visits to the gym).

A very popular element of work-life balance is also remote operation. In some companies, you can work at home for a certain number of days a month, in others-when various random events occur. In the case of IT contracting, teleworking is often provided on a daily basis. Sometimes companies also decide on part-time or jobsharing (two people share one position).

Other solutions practiced by IT companies in the framework of work-life balance include, for example additional days off (e.g. on the occasion of the name day), multi-month holidays free of charge (sabbatical), special programs for parents (e.g. birthing school, additional becikowe, kindergartens, etc.) or subsidies for hot meals (e.g. Netguru). Some companies, such as IBM, also organize colonies for the children of employees during the summer. More and more companies it also supports employed people in developing their passions and interests.

Work-life balance is becoming an increasingly strong trend, which is being followed by more and more IT companies. In this way, employers can not only get better candidates at the time of recruitment, offering them additional benefits, but also establish stronger relationships with their employees, which often translates into higher productivity and greater loyalty.