It is not 100% up to the managers to ensure work-life balance for the workforce. In fact, employees have to take some proactive action to change how they approach work and create a work-life balance. There’s no general formula to hit the work-life balance. It depends on the employees’ needs and organizational culture.
Can you achieve work-life balance in 2023? That’s the question employees, and managers seem to ask in the modern and competitive business landscape. Fortunately, there are many ways companies can adopt to ensure everyone is on the same page to create a work-life balance.
With CWJ’s Nitro Cold Brew, you can boost workplace productivity without compromising employees' and managers' mental health and wellness.
More than 60% of employees say they cannot effectively balance their personal and work commitments. And the number of people who profess this continues to increase each year. The focus of managers and the workforce should be to adapt new ways to hit a work-life balance in the coming year.
Is It Hard to Achieve Work-Life Balance in 2023?
Oftentimes, it gets a bit tricky for managers to create more wiggle room for employees, which creates resentment and leads to a high turnover rate. Young employees out of college tend to value work-life balance more than previous generations and don’t want to achieve career goals at the expense of their personal life.
After all, a vibrant work and social life improve the quality of life. The truth is that work-life balance is an essential aspect of self-care. Besides, no employee or manager wants to juggle endless responsibilities. There have to be clear boundaries to separate home life and workday.
Lets’ look at some of the most effective ways managers and employees can achieve work-life balance:
Consider the Mental Health of Employees
Managers can keep an eye on the stress levels of different employees and see whether or not their mental health is at risk. If the employees are exhausted and haven’t been able to take breaks – burnout is bound to occur. Business owners understand that skipping short breaks like lunch breaks can have a negative impact on employees.
So, encourage employees to use their free time to reduce stress levels. Besides, science checks out that more breaks mean a reduced risk of heart strokes and attacks. More breaks also allow employees to control their depression and anxiety.
If the sleep pattern of employees is disturbed – it can impact their creativity and alertness. Ideally, it is best to avoid long hours of highly demanding productivity that drains employees. Instead, ensure employees are not burned out, stressed out, and suffering from mental health issues.
Promoting work-life balance show positive results and work in favor of employees and organizations. If companies want to reduce absenteeism and improve retention rates, they have to prioritize work-life balance and give power to managers to implement progressive measures.
Every company wants growth – but it shouldn’t be on employees’ mental and physical health—influence breaks and vacations to make employees motivated, productive, and happy with Nitro Cold Brew.
Establish Needs
There’s no harm in asking employees about their current needs. Once managers understand their employees’ needs – it becomes easier to create work and life balance in the workplace. Part of the process is to understand how employees do their work and whether or not it leads to work-life balance.
You can find out employees’ needs through survey forms so that you can have a better understanding of their preferred work hours and flexible scheduling. Focus on specific answers to make specific improvements.
Adopt Flexible Work-life Balance Goals
Managers have to be clear about work-life balance objectives and embrace flexibility to separate professional and personal life. Flexible scheduling can involve having a per-week hour standard and allowing employees to select their own work hours.
In fact, broadminded companies often focus on employees to choose the most flexible work hours and bump up productivity. Focus on accomplished work rather than how many hours employees worked. Flexible work timings show that the company values employees as workers and human beings.
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Raise Awareness about Work-Life Balance
It is not enough to implement measures to improve work-life balance for employees. Managers have to bring employees into the fold and raise awareness about the importance of work-life balance. You can educate your employees about having a balanced personal and professional life by hosting a seminar or posting online webinars.
Give your employees the tools to understand their work-life balance and flexibility to reach out to the management in case there’s burnout. Managers should also encourage employees to leave the office at regular hours, create clear personal and professional boundaries, take lunch breaks and short breaks, and switch to remote work for added flexibility and convenience.
Nitro Cold Brew is the best way to keep employees sharp, healthy, and energetic in professional work settings.
Lead by Example
If managers just dictate terms – it might put off employees to follow new initiatives to achieve work-life balance. The best way for managers and business owners is to lead by example to create a healthy work environment and influence employees to create a work-life balance.
The key is to show your workforce how to separate personal and professional time to keep the cycle of productivity and creativity moving forward. Senior leadership and managers can ensure work-life balance like employees. Ensure employees take breaks, don’t email workers after office hours, leave the workplace on time, and expect to deliver work after office hours.
Work Smarter – Not Harder
Efficiency is about how employees complete tasks in a short time. Create a work culture that pushes employees to work smart rather than harder. Besides, extended office hours lead to exhaustion and cause anxiety, irritability, stress, and depression. Many reports highlight that productive and shorter hours improve employees' mental health and help companies maintain a happy and vibrant workforce.
Build Clear Communication
Before you can promote health initiatives and create an innovative and fun work environment, you have to build clear communications with employees. Healthy communication is essential to creating a work-life balance for employees.
Communications between the company leadership, managers, and employees should be transparent and honest. Managers should encourage workers to be honest about their work without precessions. It would help companies prioritize productivity over long hours.
Managers also should guide employees to say “no” when work overlaps personal boundaries. Saying “no” to different elements would also free up more energy and time for employees to say “yes” to other tasks at work.
What do managers and employees want the most? More control over how they work means having CWJ’s Nitro Cold Brew to have fun and increase productivity at the same time.
Allow Employees to Work Remotely
In post-pandemic work settings, employees are returning to work. But there is no need for organizations to chuck away remote and hybrid work models. Upper leadership and managers can allow employees to take work home and cut out commute stress and time.
Remote and hybrid work options give employees peace of mind and show that the company cares about them. It is also one of the best ways to improve organizational culture. With the remote work option, employees feel more valued. Employers need to adopt the mindset that remote workers will take care of the work in a professional manner.
Final Thoughts
Many people now feel overwhelming stress and pressure at the workplace, making it hard to balance personal and professional life. The key is to empower employees so they can lead a quality life. Managers often have to create manageable to-do lists to consider everyone’s needs and create a work-life balance.
The broad aspect of work-life balance involves burnout prevention, stress management, and time management. Managers who prioritize these three elements are more likely to create work-life balance for their employees. Of course, achieving a work-life balance is not easy and doesn’t happen overnight. It takes effort to achieve and maintain a work-life balance in the workplace.
The evolution of technology continues to change work culture expectations. A fuzzier and a connected relationship should revolve around personal and work time. No matter how difficult the concept may be – it is crucial for managers to establish boundaries.
In retrospect, there has to be general awareness in the workplace about moving past traditional expectations. Striking for perfection can lead to a lack of productivity, burnout, and unhealthy work standards. Plus, companies follow a “have it all” mindset and empower managers to maintain a work-life balance in the workspace.
Nitro Cold Brew – a perfect way to encourage employees to socialize and take short coffee breaks.