4 Ways Employee Work-Life Balance Can Improve Your Business

Work-life balance is achieved when an individual is able to equally prioritize the demands and pressures of their professional life and personal life. There are many reasons for poor work-life balance, some of these can include increased responsibilities at work or home, long working hours, new additions to or illness in the family. Some of the positive effects of a good life balance include less stress, lower risk of burnout and a greater sense of well-being. Establishing a work-life balance is key to creating happiness in your life and bringing real meaning to it.

While individuals may benefit from a good work-life balance, good work-life balance also benefits employers in the following ways.

1 - Higher Engagement

When employees feel a greater sense of control and ownership over their lives they tend to have better relationships with management and an improved ability to prevent issues from one sphere of their life leaking into the other. Employees with proper work-life balance attend to feel more motivated and inspired in their work. They are able to fully concentrate on work during working hours, this will lead to an overall increase in company productivity and profitability.

2 - Less Burnout and Health Problems

While occasional stress is normal, continued stress will lead to work place burnout and health problems. Burnout is the result feeling overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands do the job the negative effects of that burn out can then affect every other area of an employee's life. The inability to separate work life from home life can massively increase the chances of burnout, so is important to encourage your team to take time off and leave work at work.

Physical and mental health also suffer when employees are stressed and overworked this can run from minor issues such as colds and heartburn to more serious issues such as strokes, heart attacks and respiratory problems. The cost of absenteeism can add up, and be detrimental to your bottom line. By encouraging balance you'll significantly limit health problems and the absences they cause.

3 - Better Teams

Work life balance reduces stress on employees which leads to better communication, less conflict and a better overall environment. Because employees do not bring personal problems into the workplace, and don't take their stress out on each other, they are able to build trust. This trust then leads to an environment where employees are able to offer each other support, contribute fully towards common goals and reach new levels of synergy and productivity.

3 - Be an Attractive Employer

Companies with a good reputation encouraging work-life balance become more attractive to prospective employees, thereby increasing the quantity and caliber of candidates for new job openings. The same companies will also experience lower staff turnover rates as employees are happy and want to stay out of loyalty. This means less time and money will be spent on recruiting and training new staff, and the staff who stay will have a higher level of expertise in their given tasks.

Ways to encourage word life balance.

Corporate Outings

One of the best ways to encourage unity, boost morale and help people relax is by offering occasional company outings. This can be holiday parties, departmental lunches, fun days, sports days etc. The aim of these outings should be to purposely create the time for staff to interact in a non-stressful environment.

Team Building Exercises

This is more than just meeting up to play games for fun. Team building involves doing specific activities in such a way as to motivate your employees to work together, to develop their strengths, and to address any weaknesses. When done correctly, team building activities will foster a much-needed sense of team work around the office. If your employees feel like they can depend on one another for support, they will feel like they have someone to go to when feeling stressed out or overwhelmed.

Create a Work Free Zone in the Office

It may seem strange, but it is effective and easy to set up a break room for your employees. The human body was not designed to sit at a desk all day starting at a computer screen. A break room gives employees a chance to relax and de-stress while on the job before getting back to their work. This should be a calming space for rest and silent reflection that respects solitude and peace. Establish a rule that this space is not an employee lounge that welcomes chatter, laughter, venting, or meetings and work/company materials should be kept out of it.

Encourage Taking Time Off

Taking leave is not a luxury is a necessity. It is essential to helping your staff improve productivity and focus when they return to the office. By taking leave they get the chance to switch off, enjoy themselves, recuperate, recharge and de-stress. There are many studies that show the taking leave increases company productivity.

Offer Community Engagement Opportunities

Another great way to create a positive connection between work time and out-of-work time is to offer community engagement activities that are meaningful and beneficial. Involving staff in CSR activities will reinforce the idea that their jobs are about more than just meeting targets, and what they do is valuable in the wider community.