Balancing your professional and personal life can be challenging, but it’s essential. Here are ways to improve your work-life balance today.
Often, work takes precedence over everything else in our lives. Our desire to succeed professionally can push us to set aside our own well-being. Creating a harmonious work-life balance or work-life integration is critical, though, to improve not only our physical, emotional, and mental well-being, but it’s also important for our career.
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What is work-life balance, and why is it important?
In short, work-life balance is the state of equilibrium where a person equally prioritizes the demands of one’s career and the demands of one’s personal life. Some of the common reasons that lead to a poor work-life balance include:
- Increased responsibilities at work
- Working longer hours
- Increased responsibilities at home
- Having children
A good work-life balance, said Chris Chancey, career expert, and CEO of Amplio Recruiting, has numerous positive effects, including less stress, a lower risk of burnout, and a greater sense of well-being. This not only benefits employees but employers, too.
“Employers who are committed to providing environments that support work-life balance for their employees can save on costs, experience fewer cases of absenteeism, and enjoy a more loyal and productive workforce,” said Chancey. Employers that offer options of telecommuting or flexible work schedules can help employees have a better work-life balance.
When creating a schedule that works for you, think about the best way to achieve balance at work and in your personal life. Chancey said that work-life balance is less about dividing the hours in your day evenly between work and personal life and, instead, is more about having the flexibility to get things done in your professional life while still having time and energy to enjoy your personal life. There may be some days where you work long hours so you have time later in the week to enjoy other activities.
Ways To Improve Your Work-Life Balance
Make your workspace work for you
If you’re a student or employed in an office-based role then chances are you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk. Ensure that your workstation is set up so you’re as comfortable as possible and minimize any injury.
Take regular breaks
Whether it’s making a hot drink, going for a resilience walk, or simply chatting with a friend, regular breaks are vital. After a certain amount of time on one task, your brain will need a break to reset. Brains need a break roughly every 90 minutes or alertness wanes, leaving you fidgety, with difficulty focusing, and often drowsy.
Be realistic
Setting goals for both your professional and personal life is fine but remember to make these realistic and don’t put too much pressure on yourself (or accept it from others). Setting an unrealistic goal is the quickest way to set yourself up for a fall and quash your own confidence. Just don’t do it.
Childcare Services
As a parent, childcare duties don’t always stop when you leave for work in the morning. A family-friendly work environment has proven to benefit both employers and employees in a variety of different industries.
You can consider providing an onsite childcare facility that employs a trusted staff and takes the guesswork and frustrations out of other babysitting and daycare services. If this is not possible, you may want to offer your employees a childcare service discount to alleviate the stresses of caring for children during the workday and reduce the amount of missed work.
If neither one of these options is feasible for your business, try to allow your employees at least some flexibility to care for their children. This can include the ability to take time off to pick up a sick child from school, the ability to see a child’s school play at lunchtime, or flexible start/end times for parents who drop off or pick up kids from school.
Company Outings
One of the best ways to boost employee morale and help workers get to know each other in a non-stressful capacity is by offering an occasional company outing. This type of outing can be as low-key or as extravagant as you like, depending on your company’s culture and budget for such things.
For example, you could organize a company-paid lunch either to be catered in the office or at a favorite group-friendly restaurant nearby. Happy hours, holiday parties, birthday celebrations, and park days are other fun ways to get out of the office and bond in a non-traditional setting. However, you don’t have to even leave the office to achieve this feeling of camaraderie. Some small companies have found great success in “breakfast club” programs in which employees take turns bringing in their favorite breakfast foods (either homemade or store-bought) to share with co-workers.
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