Where work and life are in a healthy balance

He gracefully balances over the Brda River flowing through the centre of Bydgoszcz. He's sitting on a line stretched between its banks. It is "Man Crossing the River" – one of the symbols of Bydgoszcz. It embodies the talent, creativeness and openness of people living in this dynamically developing city – a place which also offers balance and a healthy connection between work and life so desired today.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE OF THE NEXT GENERATION

Both for business development and for the City, the most important factor is people, and the assessment of the quality of life in a given place plays an increasingly important role in this process. For many years, due to the increasing pace of life, the idea of work-life balance has been more and more popular. Its main objective is to maintain a work-life balance by separating the two zones. The concept dates back to the 1970s and 1980s and suggests that, in principle, areas of activity related to the performance of professional work should be clearly separated from those related to private life, family life, spending free time or the pursuit of passions. Nowadays, the line between work and private life is becoming blurred.

  It is largely due to the digital world, full of modern technological solutions, thanks to which we are online all the time, remaining open to communication and obtaining information anywhere and at any time. And although people from Generation X may still prefer to go offline, not answer the phone and not check the work mailbox after business hours, for Generation Y, and especially for Generation Z, being always present and available is simply in their nature and the integration of both zones is completely natural. Therefore, especially these groups of employees are no longer satisfied with the current version of the work-life balance concept.

Young people don't really remember life without new technologies, they are multitasking, creative, flexible and uncompromising. They have naturally lost the boundaries between the virtual and the real world, they can work anytime and from anywhere or enjoy life with work being present in the background. Therefore, consolidating all areas of life becomes the norm. Thus, generations Y and Z completely unconsciously overwrote the classic work-life balance by work-life blending (or work-life balance 2.0, work-life integration), a concept assuming that the balance between private life and professional work is based on a holistic approach to one's existence. Employers are also gradually changing their approach and, instead of constantly controlling employees, are increasingly focused on effective performance of tasks, allow flexible working time and forms of employment as well as the overall integration of the professional and private spheres of life.

"BOUTIQUE" CITY FRIENDLY TO WORK AND LIVE IN

Combining professional and private life is not only a relationship between employers and their employees. An important role is also played by the city, which is a principal economic, social and natural environment for this phenomenon.

The example of Bydgoszcz and the dynamically developing market of modern business services shows how the urban "ecosystem" can support the implementation of the work-life blending concept. One of the advantages of Bydgoszcz in this respect is its "boutique" character. It has both the advantages of a large city, such as urban infrastructure, access to public services, the labor market and housing offer, as well as its individual, intimate character, natural values and attractive places for recreation and relaxation. It can even be said that the City is "compact", deprived of many inconveniences typical for large metropolitan areas, and most places can be reached in less than 20 minutes.

Especially in the BPO/SSC industry, friendly and modern work spaces are so important. Bydgoszcz office resources are mainly new buildings, located in the city centre, nearby or conveniently connected with offices and other public facilities or centres of private life in the City, e.g. universities, places of culture, rest, or recreation. Attractive design and furnishings of offices as well as co-working spaces, which in the post-pandemic reality fulfill new social functions, promote effective team and creative work, exchange of knowledge and experience, as well as interpersonal integration and networking. This aspect is strongly complemented by the presence of companies whose HR policy gives employees, e.g. flexibility as to the place and time of performing tasks, and also allows or even encourages personal development by sharing knowledge and experience, not only professional, but also related to their passions or other non-professional topics.

   An additional element of the whole kaleidoscope of factors conducive to the implementation of the idea of work-life blending can also be the educational offer of the City, which gives the opportunity to acquire and improve competences needed on the local labor market, as well as to combine the educational path with professional work. In this respect, Bydgoszcz also remains an attractive location. More than half of the total number of students in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship is educated at the universities located here, and the profile of education is largely adapted to the needs of the local economy. Educational institutions cooperate with the business environment, thanks to which pupils and students benefit from attractive programs of patronage classes or fields of education created in cooperation with companies investing in the City, as well as offers of internships, dual and postgraduate studies.

WE VALUE A HEALTHY BALANCE

Bydgoszcz undoubtedly has its own unique charm. It is a city of harmony and balance, perfectly combining industrial heritage with modern technologies caring for nature and constantly investing to become an increasingly attractive place for residents, tourists and business people. Positive energy can be drawn on the banks of the Brda River flowing through the centre, attracting many sports and cultural events. A bit of afternoon or weekend relaxation will also be provided by numerous green areas: well-kept urban parks (including the largest in Poland – Myślęcinek), numerous forest complexes, charming spaces of the Mill Island located in the heart of the City or Planty on the Old Bydgoszcz Canal regaining their former splendor. In the vicinity of lively main streets and squares, one can find many side streets and alleys that offer unusual, inspiring places, such as alternative cafes, small pubs with artisan brewery, pearls of architecture, monuments related to the industrial history of the City or Bydgoszcz frymark full of regional products.

  Places and people that can be found here create a unique atmosphere of Bydgoszcz, which is certainly worth trying in search of a healthy balance between work and life.

Photo: Man Crossing the River/Rober Sawicki.

This article comes from magazine:
FOCUS ON Business #7 November-December (6/2022)