How to make sure employees have a healthy work-life balance all year long.
The 7th – 11th of October 2019 saw the popular ‘Work Life Week’ program commence. It has been designed to encourage employers and employees to focus on their well being in and outside of the workplace. It is important for employers to encourage a positive work-life balance to ensure employees are engaged and successful.
If businesses take the initiative of promoting a positive work-life balance, it will not only begin to empower individuals of all levels of employment but will also begin to have a positive effect on the employee’s personnel lives.
A study completed by ‘Automatic Data Processing’ (ADP) found that shockingly over 2/3 of the UK workforce are overworked, on average an employee in the UK will work six extra unpaid hours per week. Overworked and more importantly under-compensated work can have a long-lasting negative effect on both an employee’s mental and physical health. An employee who fails to take enough time off may find themselves feeling rundown or burned out, which will ultimately affect both the employee and the employer as a result.
It is vital for employers to create working environments in which employees feel comfortable to disconnect and switch off from once the working day has reached its end.
Making sure employees take the necessary time off work each day to recharge their batteries will mean they can return to work the next day feeling determined, eager and willing to work. By improving the employees’ mental health this will also affect the workplace environment. A study by Warwick University found that happy employees create a positive workplace atmosphere and increase overall business productivity by 12%.
Creating that disconnect between work and personnel lives gives employees the freedom to commit time to sports, family and hobbies rather than worrying about emails after work or on the weekends. This disconnect will make the hours they do spend on work an awful lot more genuine and worthwhile.
Therefore, although ‘Work-Life Week’ is a positive incentive it should be a recognised program throughout the year. Below are some tips on how you can achieve a work-life balance.
The advantages of flexible working.
Surprisingly being forced into a desk for 40 hours a week is not the key to productivity or being successful. A study completed by Timewise shows that a staggering 87% of employees are either already working on a Flexible contracts or at very least would like to. For an employer to offer a flexible working contract displays a message of trust in their employees that they can get their work done to a high standard.
Employers must understand that employee’s main priorities in almost all cases are focused on family rather than their jobs. Shockingly 2 out of 10 parents have refused new jobs and 1 in 10 parents have turned down a promotion, as it would hinder a good work-life balance. These figures show how important offering a flexible working contract is.
Employee Engagement Scheme
A study completed by ‘Global Force’ shows that over 68% of organisations have seen an increase in employee retention once they introduced comprehensive employee engagement schemes. These schemes do not necessarily have to be work-based; they could be cinema tickets, subsidised gym memberships or small getaways.
Reward schemes are another fantastic way to help promote a healthy work-life balance. By rewarding individuals or teams for excelling in their role with either vouchers or experiences which will encourage them to leave the office. This not only proves to employees that their employers value their work effort but is also a nice way for an employer to reward their staff.
At HPC we believe the core of any business success is ultimately down to employee well being. Employee well being is affected by a healthy work-life balance, which we believe all employers should incorporate into their business model. Whether this is out of office charity programs, reward schemes, flexible working or a ‘No Email’ policy when out of work hours.
If you would like further information on how you can make your employees work-life balance better, please contact the HPC team today.
T: 0151 556 1975
E: help@highpeformanceconsultancy.com
Twitter: @HPC_HRservices