Work-Life Balance



When it comes to everything in life, there generally always has to be a balance. It is very crucial that all employees have a work-life balance. One of the main reasons is to prevent burnout and promote increased worker productivity. This article discusses the development of the concept of the ‘work-life balance’ as a means of tackling the problem of increasing amounts of stress in the work-place as people try to juggle a wide range of factors in their life/work environment, including: work; family; friends; health; and spirit/self. It is argued that, of the factors involved, work is the one which is most flexible and can be managed in such a way as to avoiding putting the other factors at jeopardy. A major factor of the trend towards achieving work-life balance is the fact that younger people are not prepared to work in the same way as their parents, wanting greater control, and a bigger say in the structure of their jobs and what they could possibly offer in the future. The search for work-life balance is a process in which people seek to change things based on changes in their own priorities, physical, psychological or both. 

We must keep in mind that these can all be affected by factors such as: age; changes in working conditions; the demands of new technology; and poor management. Employees can benefit through many ways: having a greater responsibility and a sense of ownership; having better relations with management; avoiding bringing problems at home to work, and vice versa; having the time to focus more on life outside work; and having greater control of their working lives. When you achieve a better work-life balance, employees can produce great results for employers. For example, this can lead to a workforce that is more productive and motivated to come to work. This will also in turn create a less stressed workforce that feels valued and appreciated by their fellow coworkers as well as management. This attracts a wider range of candidates, such as older part-time workers and careers and less employees who are absent at work, gaining the reputation of being an employer of choice, retaining valued employees, achieving reduced costs, and maximizing available labor. The goal of this article is to examine some of the problems which might happen when implementing a work-life balance strategy and offers advice on carrying out this plan.                                                                                         

Especially in todays day and age after the Covid-19 pandemic, the push for employees to return back to the office has been arbitrarily and unevenly applied at workplaces across the country, leading to frustration, resentment, and crumbling employee morale. Part of that work-life balance can be found with giving more employees a hybrid schedule so that there is a balance between working in the office and working from home. That way employees won't get too bored or tired of the same work environment during their work week. It's amazing how a little flexibility and change of scenery can sometimes make all the difference with employee productivity. For example, this can be compared to a similar situation in college where our professors often told us to never study for our final exams in bed or to do our homework in bed because it causes us to fall asleep. The same holds true for employees who have a work-life balance. When you do other things besides working, such as your favorite hobby, this can in turn lead to increased creativity and motivation during your work time. So, go ahead and simply take a walk outside if fresh air and exercise are what help to recharge both your personal and work life. Reading a book, sipping on a cup of tea or coffee, eating your favorite foods, meditation or spending time with loved ones or pets can also be great for your work-life balance. 

Another tactic workplaces can use is limiting amount of emails per day employees need to check or reply to once they are off the clock. It is important to define exactly what "business hours" mean to your workplace. It may be tempting to check or reply to work emails mainly because employees usually feel as if they are obligated to. However, managers can enforce how often they need to check their emails by setting boundaries with technology or setting aside specific times during the day when it is time to check your inbox. Another solution can be to assign rotating employees to check or reply to emails when another employee is away from the desk or is on vacation. 

This brings us to our other topic: vacation. I think it is definitely safe to say that when employers give their employees enough vacation time, they return to work feeling more refreshed and ready to work even more. This leads to increased worker productivity and employee morale because employees had enough time to recharge and give both their mind and body a break to relax and rest. It is important to make sure that your workplace is encouraging all employees to use their vacation time and to not work while they're gone! Otherwise there would be no point of calling it a vacation. This prevents any type of burnout in your workplace.

Maybe your idea of work-life balance might look different from another employee. It is very crucial that both team members and your boss collaborate on new ideas that promote both a bottom-up and top-down communication policy for your organization that is healthy and productive for all employees. By working together on this even if it takes baby steps, we truly can become the change we wish to see.