MINDFULNESS FOR WORK-LIFE BALANCE OF EMPLOYEES DURING COVID 19: A REVIEW STUDY

Abstract

COVID 19 pandemic has completely changed the lives of people across the globe. People from different facets of life have been impacted financially, socially, physically, psychologically, mentally, and emotionally. Since March 2020 there was an abrupt and unexpected switch in the lives of people from juggling employment, childcare, personal relationships to household tasks, and family responsibilities altogether. Employees too faced a major shift in terms of their work environment and working hours which further added onto their already high levels of stress and anxiety due to the unprecedented situation. The concept of working from home has been misinterpreted as being available at all times. With all of the pressure, employees appear to be having difficulty managing their time, being productive, and working well in groups without any expectation of employee benefits. Employees struggle to maintain their work and personal life simultaneously as the boundary between work and personal life gets blurred due to COVID 19.

Mindfulness and work life balance play a pivotal role in our lives. Clubbing the two together can be beneficial. By functioning as a link between work and life, mindfulness can help us reclaim our equilibrium. This study aimed to discuss mindfulness as being a potential solution for work life balance and sustainable growth development of employees. The study also focused on adopting mindfulness as an essential HR practice in both the private and government sector in the post COVID era. Further, the future implications and recommendations were discussed.