Research shows that employees who have a good work-life balance are usually the ones that are most productive in their jobs, and organizations which puts its people first over every other thing else are often the ones marked for success. While “Work-life balance” is quite a hot buzzword amongst corporations these days, it turns out that only few actually puts it into practice. It goes without saying that employers alone can’t provide all the necessary work-life balance for their employees – because employees on the other hand still have to take some responsibility by themselves to change their attitudes towards work and home life – however, there are lots of things that employers can do to help their employee find and maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life.
If you are an employer and you wish to improve your employees productivity through a healthy work-life balance, here are tips you should consider.
Ask Your Workers What They Need
An employer who is usually concern about his employees needs do not only succeed personally as a boss but also set the organization's foot in the right direction. As an employer, try to understand what your workers need to have a healthy work-life balance and look for ways to help them achieve it. This can actually be done by having them fill out a survey about various balance-related factors of your company – like hours worked, flexible scheduling, support for working parents and nursing mothers etc. This in a way will help you identify the specific areas in which your company needs to improve and allow your employee have a steady work and also a steady life.
Offer flexible and remote working
80 percent of workers will actually love it if they had flexible working hours or perhaps work remotely every now and then, but employers are often too rigid to grant such privilege. Employees want to be trusted to manage when, where and how they work. And they often value employer who empower them to manage their own time.
Encourage workers to focus on productivity rather than hours
"Its not how far but how well", is an adage that still stands today. Most employers are quite obsessed with how long employees have worked rather than seeing how they've been productive with their working hours. Rather than count the hours employees work, encourage them to focus on the completion of a particular task even if they sometimes have to leave work early because they've completed their work for the day. What's most important is for the job to get done.
Keep an Eye Out for Burnout and encourage breaks
One of the employer's highest responsibilities is to look after his employees’ well-being, in addition to their job performance. Learning how to spot out burnouts and weariness in employees is key to being a boss and to bring success to the organization. Employees should be encouraged to take breaks, take a walk or even work in a totally different environment of the office...because sometimes being confined in one location repeatedly can be very depressing and stressful.
Since most of the time workers wouldn't want to admit that they are being overstressed (because they don’t want you to think that they can’t handle their duties,) it's now left for you the employer to notice when they would need help. Signs can include excessive absenteeism, increased error rates, or clear physical exhaustion. If you ever spot an employee who might be burning out and feeling weary, suggest they leave early one day or try to avoid giving them extra projects to handle.
Give them flexible working hours
Giving your workers flexible hours of work does not only make them happy but it also shows that you value them as people not just as workers. When employees start feeling this noble sense of benevolence from their boss, it makes them not only feel loved but also make them value their work.
Allow Them to work From Home at Times
Most employers are scared of allowing their workers telecommute because they feel they will not be productive, however, it's not actually like that. Research shows that when workers work from home, they are usually very productive due to working under a stress-free environment. The much pressure they would have faced working in the office will be reduced when they work at home. Allowing your employees take a day or two to telecommute, will actually bring out the best in them and make them value the organization.
Lead by Example
Work-life balance is easier said than done. Most employers boast that their organizations have flexible working hours, yet their employees can't even enjoy weekend in peace. As a boss, lead by example and give your employees what they deserve.
