7 Tips to Help Employees with Work and Life Balance

By Simone Smith

Updated Over a Week Ago

Minute Read

Your employees are the people who are making your business possible and should be treated with respect. They are eagerly seeking a fair work-life balance.

Not having the proper balance will wear your employees out. As such, they will be less productive, and the fatigue will make them less satisfied with their job. They may even become more susceptible to illness as stress weakens the immune system.

Turnover is also a killer, and you would not want your employees to feel as though they have no other option. Here are a few tips for aiding your employees’ work-life balance.

1. Let Them Cut Out Early

If you’ve noticed an employee has had an incredibly productive day, and things are moving reasonably toward project completion, you may want to let the employee cut out early. While momentum is excellent, you would not want your employees to run so hard that they crash and are burned out.

Giving someone the option to go home earlier than usual if they’ve finished their tasks to a satisfactory level may even encourage your employees to work more effectively and increase job satisfaction.

2. Offer Versatility in Scheduling

Everyone appreciates considerate gestures. Your employees will feel more valued if they know they have a say in their schedule as opposed to feeling like their schedule is something that is inflicted upon them with no flexibility.

Opting for a more flexible scheduling system will allow your employees to feel more in control, and they will not have to sacrifice important life matters due to work obligations.

3. Avoid All-Nighters

If things aren’t getting completed on time, you need to re-evaluate your approach. Having everyone work later will only make them feel tired and more resentful towards the task at hand. Instead of encouraging your employees to stay late, figure out what the problems are and fix them.

Let employees get their rest and have them come in the next day to find a new and fresh approach to the problem. No one is going to feel innovative if they’re weary and stressed out.

4. Know When Your Employees Are Fatigued

You need to be able to recognize the signs of fatigue in your employees. If a great employee’s performance is declining, that could be a result of feeling overworked. If everyone is lumbering around like zombies with dark circles under their eyes and drinking coffee like it’s necessary for their survival, a break is necessary for their well-being.

Make sure your employees know that you’re suggesting they take time off because they deserve it, and not because you think less of them. Your display of genuine care may be exactly what your employee needs.

5. Make Sure Everyone’s Taking Their Breaks

Don’t let anyone work through lunch. Make sure people are utilizing ten or fifteen-minute break periods to get their heads together. If no one steps away for a moment to take a few deep breaths, their quality of work will suffer because of it. Offering outdoor picnic tables for your employees is a small courtesy that they will appreciate. Fresh air can make a world of difference.

6. Encourage Individuality

We all put on our corporate suits and business faces to confront the day. Over time, this can make someone feel as though their identity is being stifled. Get to know your employees and find out what means the most to them.

If someone has a special talent, allow them the opportunity to showcase it in the workplace. Put up a corkboard in the break room for your employees to share pictures of their families. Give them projects that appeal to their passions. The opportunity for them to be themselves at work will give them some space to breathe.

7. There’s Such a Thing as Too Early

One of the worst things you can do is schedule meetings hours before the business opens. Some of your employees have longer commutes. Some of them have to come home and take care of their children, do their laundry, and hit the grocery store after work. If at all possible, avoid cutting into the time they have to sleep. No one works well on only a few hours of shut-eye, and you shouldn’t expect them to.

You’d be shocked at how much smoother things run at the office when your employees are satisfied with their work-life balance.

Happy, well-rested employees bring more to the table than those who have resolved themselves to simply go through the motions. Open up a dialogue about work-life balance, and show your employees that you understand what they need.


How Do You Help Employees With their Work and Life Balance?

If you have ideas about work and life balance that might be helpful to readers, share them in the comments section below. Thanks!

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Simone Smith
Simone Smith
Simone Smith is a writer working at Online Courses Australia. She believes that inspiring company culture and good work-life balance are a key to success. She likes to cover stories on careers and business management.
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