The days of being chained to the desk and having a poor work life balance are well and truly over. With technology allowing you to work from your home, office, on holiday or on your mobile device from anywhere.
While this can be good for being efficient during work-hours, it can be a problem with ‘switching off’.
According to statistics, 13 per cent of Australian employees are currently working longer hours, more than the OECD average of 11 per cent.
A poor work-life balance is reported to lead to burnout which can result in more mistakes being made and a downturn in productivity. Overworking is also a major cause of mental ill health, which is said to cost UK businesses an alarming $46 billion per year.
So, the message is clear, when work finishes for the day, work finishes for the day. Despite the temptation to engage with work after hours, employers should be encouraged to implement these four tips for improving the work-life balance of their team.
1. Set boundaries
Especially with smartphones, it’s all too easy to respond to emails outside working hours.
Implementing policies which advise against sending and replying to emails outside working hours could ensure employees experience the evening and weekend downtime they need to come to work feeling motivated and refreshed every day.
Similarly, address any negative cultural habits such staff putting in long hours for extra reward and recognition – employees should be encouraged to leave the office at an appropriate time every day.
2. Eliminate unnecessary time-consuming tasks
Streamlining processes can be an easy win when it comes to alleviating the negative impact of burdensome workloads and unnecessary tasks.
For example, transitioning your workflow to include more integrations and less information re-keying by using an end-to-end solution like triConvey, can save employees a great deal of time which can be redirected to other higher priority tasks on their to-do list.
3. Flexible time
Ask yourself whether you really need all your employees to be at work during traditional working hours.
Arrangements that allow employees to structure their working day or working week in a way that suits them can be real help to achieving a healthier work-life balance which takes into consideration the circumstances and commitments of individuals.
Flexible working arrangements could also make you a more attractive employer too, especially for employees with young children attending school.
Of course, flexible time can work best for your business if you set some parameters according to job type – for example, agreeing a set number of hours and core times when individuals must be in the office or attending meetings.
4. Encourage exercise
Research reveals a correlation between exercise and a better work-life balance and stress reduction. A good way to encourage employees are maintaining consistent exercise is to join a local sporting competition, employ walking meetings where possible and potentially exercised themed days like ‘Frisbee Fridays’.
It’s possible to promote a healthier work-life balance straightaway by implementing a few simple measures. But remember, when workplace culture usually starts at the top, your efforts could be more effective if you start leading by example.
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