What is meant by work-life balance? It is not just another metaphor we use in our daily life. This metaphor has a lot of meanings hidden behind it. Work-Life balance simply does not mean that there is an equal distribution of weight on both sides but it is a balance between body and mind. For each person, the work-life balance definition may change. It depends on how they have self-defined their goals and their state of well-being so that they can handle multiple responsibilities at home, work and society without getting stressed mentally and physically. Once the employer is able to bring in work-life balance in the organization, it has a lot of advantages like reducing stress, attracting new employees, retaining current employees, trust and strong relationship with the company and most importantly it increases productivity. Finally, it is all about productivity and increased revenue.
So, if you want to achieve this goal, it is time for you to invest in work-life balance. In today’s world with too much of hectic schedule and increased responsibilities, employees tend to stay or get attracted to companies which give them personal satisfaction and balance their daily activities be it work or home.
Ways to bring in work-life balance
1. Try taking a different path
Do you prefer to go to the shop to purchase things or rather switch on your laptop and order it online? It is time to think differently. The work-life balance is not about fewer work hours or part-time job. It is more about handling the responsibilities at work and at home on a priority basis. The employers should come up with creative ideas as in how they can ensure work-life balance for their employees. Employers can bring in certain policies, procedures and benefits like flexible work hours, work-from-home, and daycare center within the company to ensure the happiness of working mothers, etc. Also, try to encourage employees to try relaxation methods such as yoga and meditation. This helps body and mind to get de-stressed from strenuous work routines.
2. Understand the big difference between doing and getting things done
It is time to understand the difference between doing and getting things done. There will be so many efforts from Human Resource team to bring effective work-life balance. But most of the times the efforts never see the fruits. The organization may have the most employee friendly policies and procedures but yet they fail to get positive output.
Rather than bringing in new policies, it is always better to get the current policies implemented and make sure their workability. Unless and until, things get continuously fortified, it is difficult to keep them in place.
- Proper communication about the present policies as most of them will be unaware about the same
- Give “work from home” option for employees at least twice in a month
- Allow employees to take paid holidays for community involvement
- Bring in mandatory vacation for employees
- Try to indulge employees in fun events
- Celebrate family day with special fun events wherein employees can bring in their families
- Provide team funds to go for lunch or dinner or one-day outing
- Include yoga and meditation sessions
These things in a way try to bring down the stress levels at work and they are given the chance to concentrate on their responsibilities at home also. By bringing families to work, the family members get to see the work environment of their loved ones and will be able to support them more with their house responsibilities. The company should also ensure to focus on the question that how individual employees are trying to bring work-life balance.
3. Difference in work-life balance perception
The way I think and you think are entirely different. Each individual has different perception about work-life balance. For me working and taking a break in between to play my favorite sport will be the work-life balance. For you, working long hours which result in excellent results might give satisfaction. The concept of work-life balance changes over time. Once you start your career, the perception of work-life balance will be different. As you proceed to your mid-career and then to the end of your career, the perception what you had previously about work-life balance might change. The work-life concept for a person who is single is different from the person who is married. As our perception about work-life balance changes continuously, the company might find it very difficult to find a measure to bring work-life balance.
The various reasons behind employees experiencing pressure are mainly less experience in the same field, latest technology, workload, continuous work hours, and office politics, work not getting appreciated, relationship issues, etc. In this competitive world, everybody is trying to reach the top of their career ladder and they are least bothered about the life around them. They will rather boast about not taking a single vacation in their career. Here, a work-life imbalance occurs.
4. Company
Finally, it is all about what your company can provide you with. The organizations should ensure that they create a work environment which gives employees a happy and relaxed atmosphere. Mindtree Ltd. had looked into the concerns of working mothers and came up with “Little Critters” which is a daycare center within the company. The employees can leave their kids in “Little Critters” in the morning and can in between go and take care of their kids. This was one of the greatest initiatives by the company. Other facilities include a wellness center with a doctor, two nurses, and ergonomist. There are facilities provided by other companies as well to ensure work-life balance and well-being of their employees.
The happiness of the employees gets reflected in the work what they do. Happiness leads to a positive work environment. If you can ensure that your employees are happy, then you will be able to increase the productivity and subsequently this leads to increased revenue. So now that you know the importance of work-life balance. So, if you are an employee try to find your perception about work-life balance and if you are an employer try to come up with measures that ensure work-life balance.
