It is often difficult to separate our work life from our personal life - especially in the IT industry when everything is constantly changing. There is a need to learn that our life-at -work should be left where we found it - at work. Issues that we face today - and left unresolved today - will be there waiting for us to address them tomorrow. Moreover, by the very definition of being employed, there is always another project or another issue that needs to be tackled after the last one has been resolved.

The problem of separating our work life from our personal lives is further hightened when personal issues arise - such as family problems, a sick child or financial turmoil - such as the ones we find ourselves in today. It is during these times that most people have difficulty in focusing on the issues and prioritizing them based on their importance. Can the very companies we work for help us in maintaining a balance?

With technologies such as VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) it is much easier for employees to connect, and work, from home. I am fortunate to be employed by a company that has taken into consideration an ‘employee’s home-life’. Working from home gives team members an opportunity to improve their work life balance by giving them more flexibility in terms of their hours of work and where they perform the work. If someone at home is sick and needs to be taken to the doctor, we have the option of leaving work to take them to the doctor and when things settle down, we can easily connect to via the VPN and finish off our day. Companies who offer their employees the flexibility of working from home will most likely recruit today’s top talent in the existing tight IT market.