At Hewitt Young, we have been changeling the notion that that work and life should be separate. Since I began here about a year and a half ago, I have felt a part of the ‘family,’ as we call it. I used to believe that one would go to work and have their ‘work friends,’ and then go home to their ‘real friends.’ Joining the Hewitt Young team completely changed my outlook on this age-old business model. What is stopping us from merging work and life? Why have we not blended the interaction between work and play? Sure, your co-workers are not always personally chosen but you do have the opportunity to choose who you spend your time getting to know. You may find you have more similarities than you think.

Balance by definition is, “a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportion.” Up front, this sounds like a perfectly reasonable business model, until, that is, we define integration: “the act of combining or adding parts to make a unified whole.” Clearly, the more advantageous concept here is the integration of work and life.

At Hewitt Young, we have made it a point to hold at least one event a month to bring our team together. By doing this, not only are we challenging the work-life balance structure, but we are fortifying our team spirit, in turn making us more productive.

To further strengthen this approach, we have also adopted the “being all in” mentality and have started exemplifying it in our daily lives. In poker, when a player commits the rest of their remaining chips to the current bet, they can no longer perform any other action because they are ‘all-in.’ Personal growth and success are highly achievable when we dive headfirst into everything we do. Being all-in is not only essential in any business but also vital to building a successful team. It is through these models, coupled with hard work and persistence, that we have fostered a prosperous organization.