Is your team exhibiting signs of burnout? Are they struggling to stay on task or to complete projects on time? Maybe, you’ve recently noticed an uptick in staff turnover.
These are all signs that your team does not have a good work life balance. Whether it’s the workload, the busy season for your office, or they have too much work on their plate – you must be mindful of your employee’s time. A positive work-life balance helps your business retain top talent and create a positive workplace atmosphere. If your team sets aside time to reach their personal goals or spend time with their family, they’ll feel more passionate about the work they do between 9-5.
In a recent study, 68% of employees believe no work-life balance can impact their morale and overall workplace motivation. If gone unnoticed, this can be a costly mistake for your business. Constant turnover will cost your company anywhere from 1.5 to 2 times the employee’s salary.
Money isn’t the only factor. Prioritizing a work-life balance has benefits for your employees and your business. It’s a tool that helps you build a workplace environment that thrives on communication and collaboration. A good work-life balance will inspire creative thinking, enhance productivity and improve everyone’s physical and mental health.
But what exactly is the work-life balance meaning?
Let’s take a closer look at the importance and the benefits:
Work-Life Balance Importance
In a recent work-life balance survey, over 77% of Americans have experienced burnout at their current jobs. This burnout can have negative repercussions on the workplace dynamic. If your team doesn’t clock in every day motivated- it could negatively impact their productivity and the quality of work they produce.
If everyone isn’t pulling their weight, it can also lead to a disconnect between coworkers and negatively impact the company culture you’ve worked hard to build. Next thing you know, you’re losing your top talent to your competitors.
This is a domino effect that stems from an improper work-life balance. This means the impact of work-life balance can affect everyone on your team.
Without a proper work-life balance, you may notice your employees quietly quitting, looking for new job opportunities, or simply lacking the enthusiasm they once had when they started.
However, with a healthy work-life balance, you can improve all of these problems your workplace is facing. You’ll notice employees are less stressed, happier, and feel a sense of fulfillment in the workplace.
Benefits Of Work-Life Balance
When your employees can achieve a healthy balance between their personal lives and work, they thrive in both areas. As an employer, you’ll want to look for innovative ideas for work-life balance. Whether you provide extra PTO, restructure the workloads, or provide fun employee perks.
With these small changes to the workplace dynamic, you can look forward to these work-life balance benefits.
Boost Staff Morale
Work-life balance and mental health go hand in hand. If your team makes time for themselves and family, you’ll notice fewer absences and greater employee loyalty. Every time they clock in, they’ll be motivated to take on the day and any challenges that come their way.
Reduce Turnover
The last thing you want your team to do is to get bored and start looking for new opportunities. One of the best benefits of work-life balance is you retain top talent and keep top performers happy in the workplace. Plus, the fewer team members leave, the more money your company saves.
Work-Life Balance Tips For Employees
It’s also important for employees to make work-life balance a priority. If employees can’t recognize the reasons for imbalance in work-life balance, it can lead to stress, unhappiness, and turnover. Whether you’re overworked or consider yourself a workaholic – it’s time to take responsibility for your happiness and make changes you can benefit from.
Here are three work-life balance tips for employees:
Take breaks
It’s okay to take a step back from your computer to take a walk around the neighborhood, drink some water, or reset. Research suggests that 59% of employees say more breaks would improve their happiness in the workplace. These small breaks can positively impact your productivity and help you recharge throughout the work day. If you’re constantly working through your lunch or not making time for yourself, you may get hit with a midday slump or lose productivity.
As an employer, don’t forget to encourage your team to take breaks, too. You can do this by putting together a work life balance ppt, and teaching your team the importance of work-life balance and taking a 30-minute lunch and one to two 10-minute breaks throughout the day.
Make time for yourself
Did you know that over 48% of Americans consider themselves workaholics? If you never make time for yourself, you’ll never find the balance you need to succeed in and outside the workplace. Every week, you should block out at least 1-2 hours to focus on yourself and the hobbies you enjoy. This will help maintain the perfect balance and help you approach your work week with a fresh perspective.
Learn to Say No
Do you have too many projects on your plate? Do you really have the bandwidth to take on a new client? While setting boundaries in the workplace is never easy, it’s one of the best things you can do for your mental health. Learning to say no will restructure your priority list and give you the time to focus on the important projects you did say yes to.
The truth is – for many working professionals, work never stops. It’s expected that Americans spend less than 12 hours a week on leisure activities or personal care.
Creating the perfect company culture and helping your team maintain a healthy work-life balance can be challenging. As a leader in the workplace, you need to recognize the warning signs, check in with your team and provide opportunities for them to unwind after busy times. This is the best way to ensure your team has what they need to maintain a work-life balance.
