This organisation offers employees the perfect way to balance work and life. A minor operation means that the work you and the you outside of work are totally separate, in fact one has no knowledge of the other. As soon as you exit the office you literally switch off every thing to do with work and as soon as you enter the office your brain automatically switch off everything to do with life out side of work.

So if you were over stressed at work this would never carry over to your home life for which your wife and kids would be very grateful. If your marriage was going through a rocky phase, your elderly mother suffering from dementia or your teenage daughter has a drug problem , you would leave this all behind once you entered the building. Your line manager would certainly appreciate being able to get you to focus purely on work and HR would enjoy life without all the messy stuff.

The whole people management thing would be a lot easier which bearing in mind most managers are so bad at it and HR spend so much time rectifying this deficit it would be a great leap forward in employee relations. So aside from any ethical issues this seems a win win move. Of course this is science fiction but it does prompt us to look at the work / life balance in a different way.

Do we recruit people simply for their skills and knowledge or are we also interested in the whole person? When we interview candidates why do ask about their hobbies and interests outside of work? We recognise the importance of a positive attitude, people who are open to new experiences, good team players and people who have stick ability. We look for evidence of creativity, ability to think out side the box. We think if people show energy and enthusiasm for an activity outside of work it’s a good indicator for how they will approach work if they are encouraged and supported.

 Progressive organisations don’t want to creat a hard barrier that separates the work you from the outside of work you they want to tape into energy, enthusiasm , creativity, stamina, initiative, determination, dedication, adventure, curiosity, patience, compassion and organising skills people so often display in their personal and home life. And the price they are more than willing to pay is to recognise their responsibility for helping and support employees when things are not going right outside of work.