National Work Life Week is an opportunity to focus on well-being at work and work-life balance. There is a lot of emphasise on what the employee needs to do but what should you, the employer, be doing?
Firstly, why as an employer should you care about work-life balance? A better work-life balance for your employees reduces burnout and increases employees. Also, by ensuring you show that you have consideration and genuine care for the wellbeing of your employees, you will likely increase employee loyalty and decrease staff turnover.
We have detailed a list of suggestions below that could help you implement a better work-life balance within your company.
Set Expectations
If an employee is constantly working out of office hours, then reach out and have a discussion with them. Research shows that after working 50 hours a week, productivity starts to decrease. So, set that boundary and lead by example. Don’t send after-hours emails. If you are playing catch up then save the draft and send within working hours.
Encourage Annual Leave
Employees need to unplug and recharge. Therefore, encourage employees to use their annual leave and ensure they feel supported enough to do so. Unsure about the rules around annual leave? We suggest you read our FAQs: Annual Leave Blog.
Encourage Flexibility
We saw a huge shift in remote working throughout the pandemic. It made many employers realise that the when and the where really matters to employees. Therefore, if you can offer flexible start/end times do it. If 100% remote working doesn’t work for your company, can you adapt a hybrid model?
Ask Questions
Not sure how to create a better work-life balance? Ask your employees for feedback.
Change Mindset
Focus on productivity rather than hours. We live in a very busy world and can put too much importance on who is staying late rather than who is achieving their goals. Review workloads, set realistic timelines and be appreciative when a task is complete.
If you’d like to learn more about the National Work Life Week then download the employer toolkit here.