What is work-life balance?

Work-life balance is the perfect balance between an employee's work and personal life. To be truly satisfied with their lives, people can't just be immersed in work or fun - they need both.

Why is work-life balance important?

Helping your employees achieve a better work-life balance is beneficial to your company. It can make your employees less stressed and more productive.

Reduces stress

Most employees in the United States  report their work responsibilities as their main source of stress. When people are overly stressed, it can put a strain on their mental health and negatively impact their work.

Increases productivity

When employees have free time to manage their personal lives, they can be more present at work and tackle their tasks more creatively.

What causes poor work-life balance?

Many variables that are both in and out of the employee's control contribute to poor work-life balance. However, there are a few things employers do that directly contribute:

• Inadequate salaries and wages: Your employees   have to constantly keep up with  rising housing prices  and  increasing food costs . If their salaries don't keep up with their expenses, they may start feeling stressed.
• Increase in responsibilities:  Some employers put too many responsibilities on their employees. This causes the workload to affect their personal lives as they do not have enough time in the day to complete them.
• Long work hours: Employers who  make  employees work excessive amounts of  overtime lead to poor work-life balance.

What are the consequences of poor work-life balance?

If employees consistently have a poor work-life balance, any of the following may occur:

• Burnout:  An employee becomes too exhausted to perform their tasks, impacting their level of engagement and productivity.
• High employee turnover:  When employees feel tired and less happy with their jobs, they start applying for jobs elsewhere.
• Pressure on relationships:  Some employees who are overworked may feel like their jobs are taking away from time from their personal relationships, which can worsen their resentment toward your company.

What is the optimal work-life balance?

The ideal work-life balance varies depending on the preferences of each employee, but there are some general ideas that illustrate what optimal work-life balance might look like.

The first is balance which allows employees  to view their work life and personal life as two separate things.  They don’t have to worry about chores in their time at home because they aren’t overwhelmed with responsibilities or don’t have to work long hours.

Another idea  is to allow employees to be flexible in terms of work and life responsibilities.  For example, let's say your employee's child has a soccer game at 2:30. Instead of missing it, the employee can go to the soccer game and take work calls during half-time or answer emails during the time-out.

Ultimately, employers can’t help their employees achieve the perfect work-life balance, but you can at least guide them toward a more realistic balance.

How can work-life balance be improved at the workplace?

Employers should prioritise the wellbeing of their employees. This can include:

• Allocating proper time to employees
• Focus on productivity rather than hours
• Encouraging employees to take frequent breaks
• Assigning a manageable number of tasks to employees
• Giving employees more  P.T.O.
• Increase in the number of allowances

Don't settle for just one of these ideas—employees won't be motivated to take breaks if they have too much work to do. Do your best to ease the burden on your employees while maintaining productivity in the workplace.

What strategies are in place to encourage a good work-life balance in your company?

Here are some work-life balance strategies and initiatives to consider:

• Set boundaries with your clients/customers:  Set strict office hours when clients or customers can contact you with questions or new tasks. Assign only a handful of employees to fulfill requests during evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Provide more flexibility for working parents:  Parents want a work schedule that fits around their children's schedules. Providing more flexibility for these workers can help them appreciate a job that allows them to prioritize their families.
• Allow work from home:  If employees do not have time to come to the office on a particular day, allow them to work from home.

Are there other terms for work-life balance?

The following are other terms for work-life balance:

• Work-life harmony
• Work-life integration
• Work-life interface
• Work-life impact