The Importance Of Work-Life Balance
Many full-time jobs require work outside of the standard eight-hour day, and even if they don’t, employees are still spending almost half of their waking time at work. That doesn’t include any time spent commuting or getting ready for the job. Professional demands combined with non-work obligations such as family needs or social commitments can leave anyone feeling overwhelmed.
Since we spend so much time at work, it’s easy for feelings of exhaustion, stress, and anxiety to spill over into our personal lives. The best way to prevent job-related stress from impacting our personal lives is to establish work life balance.
What Is Work Life Balance?
Work life balance is a term used to describe the lack of opposition between our jobs and the other roles we play outside of work. A healthy work life balance provides the ability to be efficient and effective within a career while having time for activities outside of the workplace. However, we all know this is easier said than done. Leaving work at work is no simple task.
Technology has made establishing work life balance very difficult. It is nearly impossible to escape the job completely, which can blur the lines between work and personal life. Emails can creep into dinnertime, and that task that couldn’t wait until tomorrow might become a bedtime activity. The demands of the workplace are pretty pervasive at this point. Don’t be discouraged though! It is possible to find a balance between these two areas of life.
How Does Poor Work Life Balance Hurt Employees and Employers?
When employees are overworked they can feel drained, leaving little energy for non-work activities. If downtime isn’t available and personal obligations aren’t prioritized, it becomes easy to neglect other important areas of life.
A lack of work life balance often leads to unhappiness and job dissatisfaction, making it less likely for an employee to stick around long term. Additionally, lacking time for self-care and simple fun can negatively impact productivity in the workplace. Both will hinder the growth of the organization as well as the career development of the employee.
How To Establish Work Life Balance
Establishing work life balance isn’t a one-time task. It requires ongoing effort from both the employee and employer. Working toward creating harmony between these two worlds is a continual challenge that renews daily.
Achieving a healthy work life balance requires discipline, planning, and maybe even a few tough conversations. The good news is that the work life balance programs resulting from these efforts can be transformative. Encouraging work life balance fosters positivity, reduces employee stress, creates space for creativity, improves retention, and increases productivity!
Work Life Balance Tips For Employees
A company culture that encourages work-life balance is just a starting point. Employees have to do their part, too. The easiest way for an employee to create his or her own work life balance is to maximize productivity while on the clock.
Here are a few work life balance tips for employees:
- Prioritize establishing balance. Be proactive in identifying ways you can personally establish work life balance. Don’t check email outside of the office, ask for flexible hours to allow time for other commitments, choose family time or a workout over late nights in the office. But establishing balance outside of work means that balance must be established while at work as well. Try to keep personal tasks and distractions at a minimum while on the clock.
- Structure time at work. Prioritize the tasks that must be done each day, and then structure each day in a way that allows them to be completed. Finish high priority items before moving on to items of lesser importance. This will help keep that work to-do list at the office, where it belongs.
- Choose a company that values work life balance. An organization that truly cares for its team members will never penalize employees for prioritizing work life balance. It’s important to research all aspects of company culture before accepting a new job.
- Be a leader in your workplace. If your company hasn’t taken initiative to encourage work life balance, then you might have to lead the charge yourself. Bring up ways your employer can help employees establish balance by suggesting potential solutions to problems you identify.
Work Life Balance Tips For Employers
Most conversations relating to work life balance happen at the individual level. However, an employer has just as much responsibility to encourage a healthy balance as the employee. Not only does this show that the employer truly respects and cares for employees, but it will also increase productivity in the long run. Here are a few work life balance tips for employers:
- Ask employees what they need to find work life balance. Team members may already be aware of a specific solution that would improve their work life balance but probably won’t share until asked. It’s important to create a culture that makes employees feel comfortable bringing concerns to the attention of management.
- Create awareness through education. Establishing programs that teach employees the importance of work life balance can be very effective. These programs make employees aware that the organization believes work life balance is just as important as productivity on the job.
- Lead by example. Establishing work life balance programs is just the beginning. Putting them into practice can be difficult. Start by ensuring that the leadership team is on board and taking advantage of the work life balance opportunities provided. Once employees see that balancing work and personal life is actually acceptable to those in charge, they’ll be more likely to follow suit.
Enjoy Work Life Balance At Southern Management
Southern Management is the largest privately owned residential property management company in the Mid-Atlantic region. We’re a living environment as well as a workplace, so we take work life balance very seriously.
Our company has retained 90% of our team year over year because of our attractive employee benefits that make finding work life balance easier.
We’re dedicated to our team members’ overall health and happiness, which is why we offer many programs for our employees that aid in creating work life balance. Team member rental discounts, health and wellness initiatives, and family fun days are just a few of the many ways Southern Management shows how much the company cares for its team members.
Live, Work, Play At Southern Management
At Southern Management, we’re always looking to grow our family. If you’re interested in joining the Southern Management team, check out our current job openings.
Not in the job market at this time? How about an apartment? If you’re looking for a new place to call home, browse our apartment communities. Our team of helpful, knowledgeable team members would love to answer any questions about pricing, amenities, or floor plans that you might have. Start living your best life and contact us today!