According to Entrepreneur, the modern-day worker who lacks a true work/life balance is less productive; is more likely to quit a job; loses out on important personal life experiences; and is at higher risk of becoming depressed or anxious or experiencing heart disease.
Source: wwwebmeister / iStock / Getty Images
If you want to keep your employees healthy, productive, and working for your organization long term, here are four ways you can help them achieve a better work/life balance.
1. Offer Employees Flexible Work Options
Did you know that employees who are permitted to work from home are 87% more likely to love their jobs, while only 24% of workers in more traditional environments claim to love their jobs? And did you know that studies continually show that employees who work remotely are more productive, engaged, and happier?
If you want your employees to be more productive and maintain a better work/life balance this year, forget about the traditional 9-to-5, Monday-through-Friday schedule, and allow your employees to work when and where they are able to be most productive in the midst of their other responsibilities.
2.Encourage Employees to Unplug
When employees are permitted to unplug from their mobile devices and work e-mail on a regular basis, they are less stressed and more productive when they are working. Too much screen time and working longer hours are detrimental to your employees’ health and personal well-being.
Encourage your employees to forgo sending or responding to e-mails after regular work hours, and ensure employees are never penalized for taking a full weekend off from looking at their computer screens and in-boxes, even if it occurs inadvertently.
3.Motivate Employees to Be More Active
If you want your employees to have a better work/life balance, invest in their physical health, too. By doing things like incentivizing physical health programs and issuing standing desks, you’re ensuring that their personal well-being and health are being considered and addressed.
For more details about why motivating employees to be more physically active is important to their work/life balance and the success of your organization, read “4 Ways to Get Your Employees More Active This Year.”
4. Provide Employees with More Paid Time Off
Additional research shows that American workers forfeited nearly 50% of their paid vacation in 2017, which is troubling because the average worker is lucky to get around 10 paid days off per year, and around 28 million Americans receive no paid time off at all.
When employers offer more paid time off, however, employees are happier and more productive. So, let your employees take time off to volunteer, vacation, travel, spend time with their families, etc. Ultimately, give them time to have a life outside of work, too, and pay them for it, and they will be happier and more productive when they come back to work.
If you do the four things listed above this year, your employees will truly be able to experience a work/life balance.