The topic of work-life balance is at the front of the minds of many companies and employees. In today’s fast-paced culture, human resource professionals are looking for ways to improve their firms’ bottom lines, boost employee morale, retain people with vital company expertise, and keep up with workplace changes.
Pandemics continue to wreak havoc on people’s lives and livelihoods across the world. While most talks center on the fear of contracting the disease, living in houses, overcrowded nursing homes, and business closures of all kinds, the crisis has also produced some positive outcomes. Reduced vehicle traffic and traffic accidents, decreased levels of air pollution, which must contribute to lower heart attack rates, and a renewing atmosphere could be considered the “silver lining” during these times.
The pandemic became a bridge for community action, family communication, behavior, sanitation, cleanliness, and online and distance education to happen. It is a blessing to be able to breathe clean air and drink pure water. It is now up to people to live a life considerate of all the gifts that nature has bestowed upon them. This kind and sensitive way of life will give you hope for a healthy and stress-free life.
Does work from home raise productivity?
“Working remotely has given me more space for long-term thinking and helped me spend more time with my family, which has made me happier and more productive at work,” Mark Zuckerberg,Facebook founder and CEO wrote. He has also said that he expects about half of Facebook’s employees to be fully remote within the next decade.
According to aStanford study of 16,000 workers done over nine months, working from home enhances productivity by 13%. Workers in the same research reported higher job satisfaction and a 50% reduction in attrition rates.
Whether they are a parent, carers, or pet owners, today’s remote employees must juggle a multitude of duties while working from home. Many employees have struggled to reconcile the obligations of their business with the needs of their families or households. This is why the concept of work-life balance is often tossed around. Employers, on the other hand, have acknowledged that each employee is unique. To ensure self-managed and independent personnel, several firms choose to offer personality-like assessments in the workplace.
Work-life balance is not a new notion in human resource research. It would continue to be studied in a variety of ways. This only makes sense because work-life balance has an 8.3 percent impact on job satisfaction and a 4.4 percent impact on employee retention.
Useful statistics for both employer and employee
Commuting saves remote employees an average of 40 minutes every day.
Fewer real estate expenditures, lower absenteeism and turnover, and greater catastrophe readiness are the key savings for firms.
Since 2020, people have been meeting by video calls 50 percent more since COVID-19.
Nearly 70% of full-time workers are working from home during COVID-19.
After COVID-19, 92 percent of those polled intend to work from home at least one day per week, and 80 percent expect to work from home at least three days per week.
23 percent of those polled said they would take a 10% pay cut to work from home full-time.
Being at home during COVID-19 saves people on average close to $500 each month. As a result, you’ll save around $6000 every year.
Only 20-25 percent of businesses cover some or all of home office equipment and furniture costs.
After COVID-19, 81 percent of respondents expect their employer will continue to promote remote work.
Compared to those who did not, 59 percent of respondents indicated they would prefer to work for a company that offered remote work.
Work-life balance may appear to be impossible to achieve these days. Thanks to technology, people can reach out to anyone at any time of any day. Meanwhile, employees work longer hours and can even have a higher priority over other aspects of their life for fear of losing their job. As such, people are currently putting their wellbeing on the back burner to give way to their careers. However, it is important to create a productive work-life integration not only for one’s physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing but also for professional success.
Categorize daily tasks. You may have a lot of duties to complete each day, so divide them into four categories: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. This can lighten your job load and prevent you from becoming stranded in stressful circumstances.
Create a schedule. There are multiple solutions available that you can utilize to create a schedule for yourself that range from a physical planner to a software solution. What is important is for you to determine each task you need to do for the day and when you need to do them. You can also include personal dates like holidays, birthday celebrations, and the like so you do not forget you are out of the office on certain days.
Choose your career wisely. You do not have to enjoy every element of your career, but it should be interesting enough that you would not mind getting out of bed in the morning. Otherwise, if you hate what you do, you will not be happy; it can be detrimental to your overall wellbeing and you might find it tough to do the activities you enjoy outside of work. Whether it is caused by working in a toxic atmosphere, dealing with a toxic person, or simply doing a job that you dislike, if it is negatively affecting you, it may be a sign to look for a new career.
Evaluate yourself at the end of the day. Consider what went well, what went wrong, and the way the matter was resolved. Keep in mind that countless companies are experiencing the same problems daily and do not forget to ask for help. You should also remember to take care of yourself and make time for the important things in life.
Set boundaries. Consider using a separate computer or phone for work so that you can turn it off after work. If that is not possible, use different browsers, emails, or filters for work and personal platforms.
Speak up. Do not suffer in silence if you are overwhelmed at work and it is causing you additional stress. Inform your boss or supervisor of your situation. Unworkable situations can usually be resolved, but it will require some positivity on your part. You can also consult a professional – such as a counselor, mental health worker, or psychologist – or simply talk to your loved ones to get emotional support.
Having a balance between your work and personal life will ultimately help you reach your deadlines and spend time with your family without worrying about work. Practicing this will help you manage your time and attention between your daily responsibilities without sacrificing your wellbeing.
Every year, on the night of Christmas Eve, Santa Claus visits every well-behaved child to bring gifts. Generally, everyone awaits the holiday season with excitement and in good spirits.
The Australian National University, ANU for short, has discovered that people who work more than 39 hours a week risk damaging their health and increasing their chances of getting ill.
In the last couple of years, burnout has become an increasingly important social and psychological issue, with more and more specialists studying it in order to come up with solutions and recommendations.
