Modern work culture is transforming. While people are becoming more career-oriented, they are also seeking to enjoy life outside of work hours. You might love your job, but you need time to relax and unwind at the end of the day. Achieving that perfect work-life balance has become a priority for modern-day professionals. Why is it so important for people? What can organizations do to achieve that balance? This article discusses why you should actively endeavor to balance work and life to the best possible extent.
Why Does Work-life Balance Matter?
We spend a significant part of their day at their workplace, leaving little time to reconnect with themselves or their families. This has serious consequences. When your employees do not get the opportunity to maintain a work-life balance, their quality of life is bound to suffer. Consider the following points to understand why an equilibrium might be more important than you thought:
- Spending hours at work without relaxing or having fun can lead to several mental and physical illnesses.
- In the long run, people are more likely to suffer from exhaustion, burnout, and lack of productivity if they do not get to balance the time spent at work and for themselves.
- When they stop prioritizing one over the other, they are more likely to deliver better quality work. More importantly, your employees will be in better spirits throughout the day.
- A dysfunctional relationship between work-life and life outside of the job can seriously jeopardize the invaluable relationships in life, leaving them isolated and without a support system. None of the above points will create happy employees.
How to Maintain a Good Work-life Balance?
Churning out more work out of employees may lead to a short-term increase in productivity. But good employers understand that it only leads to having a set of employees who cannot deliver in the long run because tedious work takes its toll. So, organizations need to realize that every workplace should have an environment that fosters an ideal work-life balance. Here are a few ways to encourage work-life balance:
- Work-from-home opportunities can create a flexible working environment and foster an equilibrium between work and life.
- Encouraging more paid vacations is a marvelous way of letting them enjoy their life and feel rejuvenated without worrying about schedules and work targets.
- Scheduled breaks during work hours can help people take a breather and return to work with more energy.
- Employees who are also parents need some extra support. Companies can consider giving them paid maternity and paternity leave, with other facilities like creche and childcare benefits if possible.
- Make space for a gym at the office. Entertaining fun activities and bonding exercises can also make work hours less stressful.
- Conduct regular check-in with employees about their responsibilities and workload to ensure they’re not overburdened.
What Skills Can Help You Achieve the Perfect Work-life Balance?
Cultivating certain skills can help your employees achieve the work-life balance they deserve. Discuss how the following can help them become a better employee while enjoying their life to the fullest.
- Improving time-management skills by preparing a to-do list every day
- Mindfully prioritizing the need to disconnect from work-life concerns when not working
- Identifying goals that require immediate attention instead of working on everything at once
- Delegating responsibilities among peers and subordinates to nurture a healthy work distribution
- Attending to personal needs regularly to ensure you do not reach a breaking point
Balancing work and life is not a choice. It is a necessity. Both employers and employees should understand its importance and strive to work towards it. Executives and leaders should make it a point to educate their teams on the need for work-life equilibrium. After all, growth should be a fulfilling process, not a demanding one.
If you want to become a leader or a coach who instills the value of maintaining work-life balance in a team, a coach training can teach you ways to do just that. With Team Transformation, you can learn to coach and support your team about the importance of balancing life within the office and outside it. Head over to Team Transformation’s website to know about how you can achieve a coaching certification.
