Yes, it’s pretty obvious. You have employees working for you because they strive to survive. For them to survive, they must have at least, the three basic human needs – food, shelter, and clothing. And the only way to ensure that they have food on their tables, roof above their heads, and something to wear on a daily basis is if they have a job. And that’s why you have them.
Although we cannot deny the fact that having a work plays one of the most important part in one’s life, you, as a their boss, must take into consideration that your employees need a life outside work; that there are other factors that allows your employee to survive.
Work – life balance is an idea of having time both for work and other aspects in life, whether it is personal, family related, or other interests not related to work.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF WORK – LIFE BALANCE FOR THE COMPANY AND FOR MY EMPLOYEES?
1. HAVING A QUICK “TIME OUT” MEANS BEING MORE PRODUCTIVE AT WORK
It’s Monday, your employees worked over the weekend and you notice that one of your employees seem to be out of reach and burned out. It maybe because you did not give him a time out. Just imagine if you let your employees have a day or two off work. A quick out of town vacation with their friends or family, a night-out drinking few bottles of beers, or just binge-watching their favorite Netflix series. You must understand that these small things that employees get to experience in their time off work makes a big impact to their work performance. They will feel recharged and motivated to work for another week since they had the time to relax even just for a while. And when employees feel motivated and recharged, they will be able to deliver outputs and be more productive which is what you expect from them. It won’t hurt if you give them a quick break. They are already spending more time working than being at home with their friends/families or doing activities they are interested in.
2. BETTER PHYSICAL HEALTH
It cannot be denied that work can sometimes be too stressful to handle which may lead to a weaker immune system and their health being compromised. When employees work with no break even after being too stressed and burned-out, this may lead to less productivity from them since they may not be able to go to work. Tasks will surely be on hold and company’s performance will surely be affected. Encouraging them to take a break when you notice that they have been working non-stop may prevent them from getting sick. It is very important to take care of your employees and avoid getting them too over worked and burned out because they play a very important role in the company. When they do get sick, they suffer and the company as well.
3. EMPLOYEES’ MENTAL HEALTH WILL NOT BE COMPROMISED
Mental health is equally as important as physical health. There is a great chance that when employees have a work – life balance, they will be able to handle and take good care of their mental health. This is very important since a compromised mental health will greatly affect your employee’s work performance. The brain is the main reason why an individual can function well hence producing quality and needed outputs and when an individual’s mental health is compromised, it’s difficult for them to function normally. Being able to understand signs that one is experiencing mental health problems will avoid future dilemma. You as their boss can encourage them to open up when you notice that one is suffering. You will be surprised as to how employees will appreciate a small gesture like this.
WHAT CAN I DO IF IT IS A REALLY BUSY SEASON AND I NEED THEM FOR THE WEEKEND FOR MONTHS?
If it happens, and it may, that your company will be very busy for a few weeks or months and there’s a big chance that a break from work may not be given to employees, there are few things you can do to still avoid having too stressed and over worked employees:
1. IMPLEMENT SHORT BREAKS WITHIN THE DAY
Aside from the usual lunch break, implement short breaks throughout the day despite the busy schedule. Human beings are not robots and cannot work for straight 10 hours just staring at their screens or working endlessly. Invite your team to grab a coffee from the nearest coffee shop or encourage them to take a quick walk outside or let them have a small chat with their co-workers. Take care of your employees as they take care of your business.
2. HAVE FUN ACTIVITIES IN THE OFFICE
If it is really impossible to give time off due to heavy workload, you can conduct short fun activities in the office just to relieve some stress off your employees. It may be a 5 minute exercise, a fun and simple game, or anything that would get them off their screens. This is essential to assure that your employees can still do their job despite not having the time off they need. Make the work place a little lighter.
3. ENGAGE WITH YOUR EMPLOYEES
One important thing to do as a boss is to make sure you engage and communicate with your team. Let them know that you appreciate their efforts for your company. Encouraging them and communicating with them would be a good gesture. One of the main traits that employees look for an employer is someone who knows how to appreciate their efforts and someone who helps and lead them. During meetings, it will be a great idea to buy them a box of pizza and a soda and just casually converse with them. This will make them feel a little better and would take them off the thought of not being able to spend the weekend out of work.
It’s a great thing to keep in mind that your employees are as important as your company. You company was built and established by you. But you together with your employees sustained it. Value your employees as much as you value your company.
In Intelligent Outsourcing, we make sure that our employees have Work-Life-Balance since it is essential in one’s performance. We also treat our employees as part of our team and we grow together and help each other in any way we can.
