Employees can only do their best when they feel like their work life and personal life are in balance. And businesses suffer when employees don't have that balance because they're less productive, more stressed out, and more likely to leave.
So how can business leaders promote better work-life balance for their employees? Here are seven tips:
Encourage time off
A break from work will provide your employees with the chance to take care of themselves, recharge their batteries, and come back to work happier. An effective way to encourage staff to take time off is to require them to use up a certain number of vacation days each year.
Implement short breaks
Even a few minutes of downtime throughout the day can lead to a big improvement in productivity. Encourage your staff to take short breaks during work hours for activities like grabbing coffee, taking a short walk, or eating lunch away from their desks.
Promote efficient work, not more work
Employees often feel like they need to work longer hours in order to be seen as productive, but this can actually have the opposite effect. Instead of encouraging employees to work longer, encourage them to be efficient with their time. This means making sure they’re working on the most important tasks. That way, your team will have more time at night or during the weekend that they can devote to themselves and their family instead of just catching up on more work.
Related reading: Raising productivity for remote workers
Embrace flexible working times
The traditional nine-to-five workday is no longer the norm, and more and more employees are requesting flexible working times. This could mean coming in a little earlier or later than usual or taking a break during the day to run errands or take care of their children. In any case, employees who feel like they have some flexibility in their hours are more likely to be content with their jobs.
Keep an eye out for burnout
When employees are stressed and unhappy, they're not doing anyone any good. Businesses that care about their workers' well-being should be proactive in identifying signs of burnout among staff members before it becomes a serious problem.
If you notice an employee who's more exhausted than usual or experiencing anxiety at work, talk to them about their workload and see what you can do to help. It could be as simple as allowing them some more flexibility in their hours, or it could mean hiring another staff member for a short period of time so they don't feel like they have too much on their plate at once.
Promote health initiatives
Employees who are healthy physically and emotionally don't just feel better, they work better. If you want to promote a healthier workforce, encourage your employees to take advantage of the benefits that their health insurance provides for them. This could include discounts on gym memberships or psychological counseling sessions if they need it.
Ask employees for their input
If you are struggling to come up with innovative ways to promote work-life balance in your company, ask your employees for their input. They're the ones who are most affected by the way your business functions, and they may have some great ideas on how to make things better for themselves and the company.
If you can implement even a few of these tips in your organization, you'll be well on your way to creating a more happy and productive workforce.
While you take care of your employees' well-being, we'll take care of your technology. For almost two decades, Kortek Solutions has been helping Las Vegas businesses solve their most challenging IT problems. Contact us today to learn how our tech solutions can put your company in a position to prosper.