DECEMBER 2014
7
business
solutions
Building a
Balanced
Life
Help your employees improve
work-life balance
While some employers fear that work-life balance will mean a
reduction in work hours and productivity, this is usually not
the case. In fact, when workers enjoy greater flexibility at work,
employers find that productivity and efficiency improve. Plus,
turnover decreases due to higher job satisfaction and reduced
stress in the workplace.
Talk to your employees about their specific needs related to work-
life balance. Then get creative with ways to address their key issues.
You may find that some of these ideas will suit your business:
Flexible Hours
Not all employees need to be tied to a desk from 8:00 AM to 5:00
PM. Consider whether some of your staff could work from 7:00 AM
to 3:30 PM so they could be available to pick their children up from
school. Or whether others could work four 10-hour days to give
them three-day weekends. The goal is to shift your focus from the
hours worked to the quality and quantity of work being performed.
Flexible Leave
Employees have a variety of reasons for taking days off. Some-
times it’s for vacation, and other times it may be to care for a sick
child or elderly family member. To accommodate these ongoing
needs, you may want to allow employees to “buy” extra days off
with a slight decrease in salary. In addition, you could provide
additional support for those who want to further their education
through time off for study. This can be done with or without pay,
and such education can ultimately benefit your company as well.
Job Sharing
If two employees with similar skill sets would prefer to work
part time, it may be worth the effort to allow them to share a
single position and gain more time for other responsibilities
and interests.
Telecommuting
If some of your team members could work almost exclusively via
phone and email, then they may be good candidates for working
from home. As an added bonus, surveys have shown that tele-
commuters are often more productive because they experience
fewer distractions from co-workers.
On-site Daycare
If your company is large enough, and you have many parents of
young children on staff, on-site daycare could help them stay con-
nected to their children during workdays.
Healthful Opportunities
Whether it’s a gym membership, weekly on-site yoga classes, or
a weight-loss competition, there are a variety of ways that you
can encourage improved health among your staff. Remember: a
healthy team is a more productive team.
With employees increasingly tied to their work via laptops and cellphones, there is a growing
push for improved work-life balance. Studies have shown that this trend can have real benefits
for individuals and companies.
