National work-life week
As it is National work-life week, we are looking at the benefits of promoting well-being and work-life balance. It is important that everyone in the working environment has a good work-life balance. Not only will it benefit the employee’s mental wellbeing, but also the business too! why? Because they will be more productive and motivated to help you reach your goals for your company. Here are our top tips to promote an effective work place environment.
Encourage your people to get their work done in the time provided:
There is a reason for hours such as 9-5, it’s not to conform to the traditional office hours but to encourage your employees to get their work done within that time. Overworking means that it’s sacrificing too much of your time for the sake of work, and it won’t feel long to feel the consequences of that. It can increase stress, exhaustion and more chances of making yourself ill. Of course, there will be days when you need to stay and work that extra hour… but it’s about not promoting it to be a habit! Realise now if you or your employees are overdoing it before they start burning out.
There will be an increase in productivity:
Every business owner wants their employees to be hard-working and productive. A poor balance of encouraging too much overtime, workload and not understanding your employees can lead to absence, low productivity and stress. Even if employees stay on to do their work after the office hours, it does not mean they got more done. Creating a good balance between your work life and your personal life will allow you to be more productive when you are back in the office. Whether it’s by allowing your employees to work from home so they can have some quiet space for a project or creating team-building exercises… it’s important you consider and benefit your employees equally.
New employees join company culture:
With review sights on employee’s experience at your business now, you need to stay on top form to keep your people satisfied and happy in their work. How to do this?… don’t just say your core values, show candidates how you live them. For example, if an employer has been with you for over three years then the holiday increases by an extra two days and it increases every year. Or even shut down early Friday, meals when you have hit targets. Why does this matter to potential new hires? By recognising your values, you are proving you care about your people, and they are not just a number.
Walk the walk:
To ensure everyone is striving for a healthy work-life balance, this does include you. Managers staying in the office until 8 pm every evening and taking no time off to balance, is not setting the right example. It will become the norm in the office if you also don’t follow.
How to support and improve employees’ work-life balance:
You will find that employees will find it challenging to bring up issues with their employer. Which is where you come in. Business owners and HR managers can help employees achieve a greater balance by…
- Allowing flexing working options (working from home)
- Mental and physical health-promoting activities (eg gym membership, cycle to work, order a healthy lunch)
- Health assessments at work
- Paid time off
- Supporting employees with their own individual circumstances.
Not all employees are the same, so it’s not the same approach will fit all. There could be a mother struggling to juggle work and childcare or a worker looking after her parents… they will not benefit from the same solution. Tailor your approach individually through one-to-one meetings. Of course, some policies can be applied across the board with success. Good work-life balance benefits both the employee and business, making it a worthy investment. Kick-start your conversation around work-life balance in your workplace today!