Augusta is PR Manager for CV-Library and has been writing about career-related topics for over six years. She has a passion for communication and enjoys creating all sorts of content for her employer.
According to findings from the American Institute of Stress, 42% of U.S professionals say that job pressures interfere with their family or personal life, with 82% stating that they feel stressed at work.
For organizations, this could spell trouble. After all, in order to keep productivity high and retain your very best employees, you need to ensure that they’re happy in your workplace.
To help you out, we’ve put together some top tips for encouraging a work/life balance in your business.
Look out for signs of burnout
Firstly, you need to understand what a poor work/life balance looks like. Recognizing the signs of burnout is extremely important, especially if you want to help your employees.
It might be that you’ve noticed a member of staff is quieter than usual, appears tired, is rushing about, or their productivity has decreased. They may make mistakes that they wouldn’t usually make, or are working longer hours than necessary.
Keep an eye on these occurrences and make notes to refer back to. This will be useful when it comes to talking to them about the issue and could also encourage other members of staff to look out for the signs too.
Ask your employees what they need
Once you’re aware of what’s going on, it’s important to have a private chat with your employee. They may not feel comfortable with approaching you about an issue, so initiating it yourself can make a big difference.
Tell them that you can see they’re not quite themselves and ask what you can do to help. Encourage them to be open and honest with you – this is extremely important for building trust with your employees.
In addition, make sure you bring along some ideas yourself. Sometimes, employees just need someone to talk to, or they may benefit from reduced hours, or some time out. Getting to the root of the issue is crucial and you can then work together on a solution that works for both parties.
Another idea is to conduct an employee satisfaction survey. Ask your teams what they feel your business should be offering to help them achieve a strong work/life balance. You can then use this feedback to come up with a strategy that works for you.
Educate your staff
Remember, your employees are your biggest asset and it’s important to educate them on having a good work/life balance. You may choose to introduce ‘wellbeing days’ where you discuss key topics such as stress and anxiety and the signs to look out for.
Alongside this, you could offer training on how they can achieve a work/life balance. This might be something that your HR team can deliver, or you could choose to bring in a professional. This could take place a couple of times a year and will get your workforce thinking about could work for them.
Embrace flexible working
Flexible working is now becoming the norm in most businesses and if you’re not yet embracing it, you definitely should. This is a great way to encourage a healthy work-life balance, as it means your employees can shape their working patterns around their personal commitments.
For example, starting earlier and leaving earlier because they have an appointment in the afternoon, or working from home because they need to wait for a delivery.
Set up a process that works for you and embrace the technology that’s going to ensure your teams are still working collaboratively.
Flexible working can boost productivity and ultimately help your business, so considering how you can make it work in your organization is crucial.
Promote a healthy work/life balance
Overall, a healthy work/life balance can help your employees to achieve more in the workplace and ultimately, help your business to reach new heights.
Nowadays, it can be extremely difficult to switch off from work and with heightened stress levels across the nation, it’s down to employers to promote a healthy work/life balance and encourage their teams to prioritize their well-being.
Hopefully, these tips should give you some food for thought for making it work in your company.
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