MW Skims CEO Emma Grede says your employer doesn't have to provide work-life balance. Why she's wrong.

By Weston Blasi

Is work-life balance 'your problem' - and not your employer's responsibility? Emma Grede's take has got plenty of people talking.

One of the richest self-made women in the world says it's up to you to create work-life balance, not your boss - and that's sparking plenty of conversation.

Emma Grede, the British entrepreneur and "Shark Tank" regular who co-founded Kim Kardashian's Skims line and the Good American clothing brand, shared her thoughts on work-life balance on a recent episode of the "Diary of a CEO" podcast with Steven Bartlett.

"Work-life balance is your problem - it's yours to figure out," she said. "It isn't the employer's responsibility."

Grede explained that many modern companies already offer a great deal of flexibility, and that workers who want even more have to figure it out on their own. This is something that has been echoed by other chief executives - including JPMorgan Chase's $(JPM)$ Jamie Dimon, who said last year: "It's your job to take care of your mind, your body, your spirit, your soul, your friends, your family, your health. It's your job, not our job."

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Grede also joked during the podcast that she considers it a red flag for an employee to bring up work-life balance in the job-interview process, saying it would tempt her to just walk out. "I'm leaving ... get out," she said.

Her hot take has been taking off on TikTok, where clips from the podcast featuring Grede discussing work-life balance have been shared with over 2 million views as of Tuesday evening. Opinions are divided on whether Grede has a point.

"She is a red flag," one TikTok user posted under a repost of the video. "This is a very important question and no this is not the employees [sic] responsibility to figure it out. You need to build an environment that enables people to have work life balance."

Another critic, commenting under the video on YouTube, wrote that this mindset only makes sense if you're getting rich off of it. "Why should someone dedicate themselves so heavily to a company just for a standard salary? That's the real issue today - the return on effort for the majority is minimal," they wrote. "People like Steven [Barlett] or Emma [Grede] can afford to champion the 'work hard, stay ambitious' narrative because they're the ones receiving the lion's share of the rewards."

Another person on X noted that while they generally like Grede, they felt she was being a little "harsh" with her comments. "It's clearly worked for her but I thought we evolved from that mindset," the user tweeted.

Grede has a net worth of $390 million as of 2024, according to Forbes estimates. Representatives for Skims and Good American did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

But later in the podcast, the conversation shifted to a different type of worker - those with high ambitions and lofty goals. And for Grede - and many listeners, as it turns out - the expectations for those more ambitious workers should be higher.

"I don't think the expectation is that anyone is going to have to work seven days a week to have an average job. [But] if you have ambitions, if you want to do the most, if you want to grow and be one of those people at the top of the organization, chances are you might have to work a little bit more," she said.

Grede added it's "not possible" to be incredibly successful and have all your weekends and evenings free. "If it's possible, tell me who she is and I'll show you a liar," she said.

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And to be sure, while she has her critics, there are also many people who agree with Grede on that point.

"I hate to break it to you, if you want to be Emma Grede, if that's your goal, chances are you will not have a work life balance," another TikTok user posted.

"I love how Emma talks about grit and the incredible impact it can have on your life," another YouTube commenter wrote. "I completely agree that we should move beyond the traditional work-life balance debate and instead focus on how fulfilling and good your life is at work."

Grede's interview has renewed the debate on workplace values - although it contrasts with some recent workplace trends.

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Work-life balance has become a major priority for many workers - especially since the COVID pandemic made remote work and flexible work hours go mainstream. According to a 2025 survey from international recruitment company Randstad, work-life balance was tied with job security as the highest-ranking factor among a dataset of 26,000 workers surveyed across 35 countries for their current or future jobs. Another survey from the Top Employers Institute showed that younger workers, in particular, prioritize work-life balance - as 62% of employees in the 18-to-27 age range said they would even accept lower wages if it meant better work-life balance.

Many employers have recognized that work-life balance has become a top issue for workers, and it's showing up in job postings. In June 2024, nearly 80% of job postings offered "a little flexibility," which in this instance means adjustable start and end times to the workday, according to job platform Flexa. And employees' overall approval with their own work-life balance has been on the rise. In 2014, just 47% of global workers said they had a good or very good work-life balance, compared to 60% who said they did in 2023, according to specialist recruiting company Hays.

But does it fall on the worker to carve out that work-life balance for themselves, like Grede suggested, or should the workplace share some of that responsibility? Career experts said that Grede's opinion on work-life balance is not 100% right - but it's not completely wrong, either.

"I've asked my workshops this question about who is responsible, and it's pretty mixed," Serena H. Huang, a people-analytics expert who specializes in how organizations approach talent, well-being and DEI, told MarketWatch. "Employers and workers have a joint responsibility to stand up and speak when they need help, and have appropriate boundaries between work and outside-work life."

And while it may be up to both parties to create the right work environment, Huang noted that one side naturally has a lot more influence.

"Employers ultimately have the power balance. They are the ones paying the employee," she said. "That imbalance needs to be acknowledged. An employee can speak up all they want, but if the company doesn't do anything ... the employee is left with a choice: quit or suffer."

The bottom line, Huang added, is that it's a personal choice for the worker. "There are many jobs that can give you a high income, and some will simply demand more out of you than others," she said. "There are still [other] successful careers - it just depends on your perspective."

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-Weston Blasi

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May 09, 2025 08:57 ET (12:57 GMT)

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