Work Life balance…can it be achieved

A lot of candidates are currently looking for increased work life balance in their professional careers. It is becoming a recurrent theme in our candidate interviews. What I am unsure of is how potential employers view this…is it seen as a negative...does the employer view it as a candidate wanting an “easy ride”??? I think that the concept of ‘hard work’ needs to redefine. How do we constitute hard or effective work…someone working every hour possible or someone working efficiently? What are your thoughts???