Reframing: work life balance
For years, we’ve talked about work–life balance as if work and life sit on opposite sides of a scale. Rebecca Rennison, our International Women’s Day speaker, argues that the problem with this is that in reality, both sides are extremely heavy. Careers are demanding. Families, caregiving, health, relationships, and community responsibilities are equally, if not more demanding. When both sides matter deeply, and feel equally heavy to bear, “balance” can feel impossible.
Work–life harmony Is Rebecca’s re-frame - and one she will be covering as part of her International Women’s Day live talk with us on 9th March. Work-life harmony offers a more realistic and compassionate model. Instead of equal weight at all times, harmony recognises that priorities shift. Some seasons require more energy at work. Others require more focus at home. Harmony is about flex and choice and replaces guilt with agency and rigidity with flexibility.
Why this matters → (30 sec read)
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You don’t need to split yourself in half to succeed. Work–life harmony means recognising that your energy, attention, and priorities will shift over time — and that’s completely natural and normal.
Instead of chasing a perfect 50/50 split, harmony is about prioritising what matters most at this moment and aligning your choices accordingly.
When you stop measuring success by “equal balance,” you create space for sustainability, wellbeing, and performance that actually lasts.
For leaders → (30-second read)
You and your team are not scales trying to hold two equal weights — you’re humans navigating changing demands.
Work–life harmony encourages leaders to move beyond rigid notions of balance and toward flexibility, trust, and outcomes. When managers normalise natural shifts in priorities and support integration of life with work (rather than rigid leave-it-at-the-door separation), engagement rises, burnout drops, and performance improves.
Harmony isn’t about lowering standards, it’s about creating an accepting, understanding and flexible enough environment that people can sustainably meet them.
Bringing it all together
The language we use shapes the expectations we create. “Balance” subtly implies a fixed and perfectly level scale. But modern life (particularly for women navigating leadership and caregiving roles) rarely operates in equal measures. The pressure to “balance it all” can reinforce guilt and self-judgment.
Harmony reframes the conversation by acknowledging complexity. It moves away from the idea of a perfectly balanced scale (a rigid state where perfection is the only option) and towards choice, boundaries, and values. It empowers individuals and organisations to design systems that flex with life instead of fighting against it.
This International Women’s Day, speaker Rebecca Rennison will explore how shifting from balance to harmony creates not just better wellbeing but stronger leadership, healthier cultures, and more sustainable success.
Reflection
If “balance” feels like something you’re constantly failing at, pause and ask yourself:
What does harmony look like for me at this point in they year/ my life, and what needs to flex to create it?
🔔 coming up on The Work Edit:
This week we’re gearing up for International Women’s Day by re-framing a few key topics. Tomorrow, we’re reframing imposter syndrome.
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International women’s day
Redefining macho
Monday 9 March 2026
12:00 13:00
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Rebecca created the “Redefining MACHO” framework to encourage better male allyship and foster a more diverse and inclusive workplace. This framework consists of five simple, actionable steps that everyone can implement today to enhance DE&I within their organisations and the broader business community.
M = Meaningful Mentor
A = Amplify Awareness
C = Capture Confidence
H = Harmony with Home
O = Orchestrate Opportunities
Rebecca will discuss how this framework can unlock numerous small actions that collectively support the development of diverse teams, actively champion equity, and ensure that inclusion is experienced by all. She has conducted several “Redefining MACHO” workshops and events, gathering valuable feedback and real-life examples that provide a clear roadmap for change.
She will also share her “Work Life Harmony Handbook” and “Confidence Boosting Alphabet” to help SMASH Imposter Syndrome.