A healthy work-life balance is so important for all members of an organisation, from employees to managers to business owners, and is a vital tool in employee attraction and branding promotion.
This should be a focus throughout day to day working life, but recognised this week, as part of National Work Life Week. It’s a great opportunity to kick-start well-being activities and initiatives in the workplace!
What are the benefits of a work-life balance?
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Reduces occurrences of employee absence
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Increases employee morale
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Increase productivity and overall work output
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Great employer branding with increased positive perception
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Increased employee loyalty and commitment, resulting in increased employee retention
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A less stressed, more focused and happier team of employees
Sometimes it’s not always easy to keep a work-life balance. Naturally, a lot of us take our work home with us physically and emotionally. The key to ensuring you maintain a healthy work-life balance is to be able to differentiate between stress and passion…
“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.” Simon Sinek.
Looking at the Lucy Walker Recruitment Workplace Report released in Spring 2019, 71.9% of employees believe their organisation promotes a healthy work-life balance, with 75.9% of employers stating they promote a healthy work-life balance for staff. If employees don’t feel they have a healthy and balanced work-life ratio, they will feel less engaged, less productive and the likelihood of them eventually leaving the company is higher.
Tips for employers to promote a healthy work-life balance
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Promote wellness or fitness challenges
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Encourage well-being activities such as mindfulness colouring, breaks away from desk and team building activities
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Provide fruit and healthy supplements for staff
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Employee engagement surveys
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Offer information on well-being
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Encourage an open-door policy to give employees the confidence to talk
Tips for individuals to promote a healthy work-life balance
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Take your lunch break away from your desk
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Turn off work emails on your phone
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Exercise before work
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Avoid the lift and take the stairs (if you can…)
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Swap your coffee for a green tea
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Wake up an hour earlier one day per week to get more out of your day
In today's market, it's important to keep in mind that job seekers and staff are looking for so much more in the workplace than a job and a salary. Well-being, work-life balance and flexible working are great ways to showcase what you can offer employees in the current climate.
But remember, it’s all about balance, resource and what suits your individual organisation. As stated above, there are a number of ways to support these initiatives, a lot with minimal costs or resources required but each with very powerful benefits for the workplace.
For any further tips on how work life balance and well-being can help support your employee engagement and overall business growth, get in touch with a member of our team by calling us on 0113 367 2880 or email us here.
