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I always ask. I'm in an area where it can either be great or non existent so I make sure to ask once I find out about the job during the rest of the interview. Interviews are your chance to interview the company not just their chance to interview you. I have always been offered the job so it obviously didn't hurt.
The way I see it is this: If there's no balance I won't be taking the job anyways so it's a moot point to continue after the first interview. And if I don't ask I won't know. However I am in a job which requires multiple certifications and degrees that aren't common so I have more of a bargaining chip. I also think it depends on where you are in your career - first job, no. 10+ years in - perfectly fine.
I think it's all about your approach.
First and foremost, don't go into an interview and, right off the bat, ask about how much time they are going to pay for you to take off (PTO). The key is to tease out this information during the course of the interview. Most of the time, in my experience, they will eventually start talking benefits near the end of the interview. They'll disclose how much PTO you'll start out with, if they have flexible work schedules, if you can telecommute, etc. From there, it's up to you to decipher what that means in terms of your work/life balance.
In my entire career thus far, I've only had one director who was iffy about working remotely. Otherwise, the vast majority have been very open-minded about flexible work arrangements and taking time off as needed. Obviously, if you go about abusing these privileges, you're setting yourself up to have them revoked, and furthermore, you risk ticking off your peers if they are revoked for the rest of them because of your abuse of the system. This is why I take such privileges very seriously, and make sure to be a role model employee while taking advantage of them.
Asking about work life balance IS a no no unless you've got it like that. If your skills are in demand and you know you can get job offers with ease, they are courting you and you can ask about such things.
Anyone else, this will set off a red flag and probably end your chances.
It's just like any other interview question that should never be asked during a job interview.
It always has been, and always should be, a red flag thing for an applicant to ask during the interview ("so, do you have any questions?").
Oh, I'm sure the social justice warriors on this forum will soon enough chime in with their 2 cents, "what's wrong with asking about work/life balance, who wants to work for an evil corporation that slave drives their employees," yada yada yada. Keep in mind, these are the kinds of people that always look for the easy way out, put in the minimum of effort, spend more time on City Data forum complaining about management, than working hard, and always looking for drama and persecution complex where none is found, etc.
But for the rest of you sane folk, heed the above advice. No matter what some people say, some things never go out of style like first impressions. The only questions you need to ask during an interview are things that are directly related to your position, your exact duties, responsibilities, and if you want to keep things 'light,' you may want to ask the interviewer about their history with the company and what they like most about working there. You do NOT ask about work life balance, how many days of vacation you get, if you can smoke pot on your time off, if you can go home early 3 days of the week to take care of fluffy, etc.
Get back to work. Your web activity is being monitored.
For the rest of you who aren't fooled by the HR guy above, It's AOK to ask for a company hand book. It may have the answers to those questions without blowing the interview. If they say we don't have a hand book you will end up another sweat hog like the guy above.
Asking about work life balance IS a no no unless you've got it like that. If your skills are in demand and you know you can get job offers with ease, they are courting you and you can ask about such things.
Anyone else, this will set off a red flag and probably end your chances.
Very True. You need to be their best choice, which will show via how they sell themselves. If their mannerisms suggest you are just one of many they are considering, asking it early just set off big red flags about you to them.
Gotta know if the baseball count is 3 and 0, or 0 and 2, and approach accordingly.
Golden Rule: Finding a work/life balance is up to YOU, not your employer.
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