Why we all deserve a better work life balance – words Alexa Wang
We are slowly but surely moving to a more 21st century way of managing the work life balance but progress is painfully slow. Many of us just don’t want that old way of doing things. Thankfully some more enlightened employers are leading the way and we can only hope that more and more will follow until all of us are able to enjoy the benefits.
Getting the balance right is important not just for the worker but also for the employer and ultimately for society itself. A tired, stressed employee under too much pressure can become ill and can end up having to take time off to recover. Why not keep your workforce healthier and happier with a more enlightened approach?
Basically, it’s a win for the employer if their employees are happy or as happy as they can be. Anything an employer can do to help bring about this culture is a good thing for both parties.
Flexible Working
One of the most obvious ways to keep your employees happy is to offer flexible working. This should be a basic right for all of us in the year 2019 but sadly some employers still don’t get it. It’s a complex world and we’re all busier than ever trying to spin so many plates at once. Surely in this day and age an employer should be up to the task of arranging its workplace so people can have some flexibility in when they work their allotted hours. It doesn’t have to cost the employer one penny and research has shown that employees are much happier if they are able to take advantage of flexible hours.
Childcare services
My partner enjoyed an onsite childcare service whist working at a University with our first child. It really helped. With your first child in particular, your head can be all over the place, you’re getting little sleep and you’re still trying to do your best at work. Having childcare at your place of work cuts down on traveling so you’re not trekking to the nursery then to work and repeating this when you leave. It also gives you peace of mind. If you get that call from the childcare staff you can walk over and deal with it easily. This helps the young mum or dad relax more and able to carry out their work.
Telecommuting
Why not allow employees work from home? I can imagine many bosses getting hot flushes at the mere thought but why the panic? As long as the required work is carried out in good time and good order than what’s the problem? The employee then don’t have to spend all that time traveling to and from work. It might not work for everyone and in every situation but it would work for many employers and employees. With the right HR software employers can introduce ideas life this quite qucikly and easily with little pain.
Improve the work culture
The work life balance can also be improved if you make work itself more enjoyable and less stressful. Yes, it sounds all very softy, softy and might seem alien to many UK bosses but it really can improve efficiency and wellbeing and so help profitability. Why not open an office gym for instance? Healthier employees will be more attentive and appreciate the fact that the company cares about them. Another idea is to set aside a quiet area so stressed employees can offload or practice yoga or relation techniques. You could provide a relaxation manager to help employees unwind. By introducing such ideas to the workplace, it can make it a more desirable place to be for employees. If someone is happy in their work, they tend to be more of an asset and take less days off. This feeds back in a positive way to the productivity of the company so we all win.
