The Importance of Work-Life Balance

It cannot be understated how vital a healthy and consistent work-life balance is to an organisation. Keeping people committed to their goals in a healthy environment requires the freedom to focus on their home lives. If problems at work bleed over into a person’s homelife, this can cause issues at home which then affect their professional capacity. An uneven work-life balance creates a cycle of over-correction and presenteeism is likely to become a root cause of mental health issues, such as anxiety.

Understanding how to create an effective and manageable work-life balance is key to an organisation’s success and healthy environment.

What is work-life balance?

Work-life balance, simply put, is the time and demand of a person’s professional lives and home lives operating in tandem without compromising the quality of the other. If an individual can effectively manage their home and working lives, and effectively accommodate both, they will be happier and more effective in either environment.

This balance can vary from person to person. For a young professional, it could be a case of their professional life taking up the day, learning more about their profession in the evening and socialising with friends on the weekend. For parents, it is working to their fullest capacity within working hours, allowing them to focus their time and energy on their family when at home. If the person is happy and fulfilled in both aspects of their life, they will have a healthy work-life balance.

In recent years, there has been a significant rise in hybrid and remote working, which has brought work closer to home and vice versa. With a new generation entering a working environment who may have gone through education in a hybrid or remote setting, work-life balance has become key. Recent studies have shown that 46% of millennials and 36% of Gen Zs cite their occupation as the second consideration to their identity, only behind friends and family. Newer generations also value work-life balance above all else, listing it as their primary consideration when choosing job roles and organisations to join.

Why is work-life balance important?

Achieving the ideal work-life balance is vital to a person’s health and wellbeing. If a person enjoys a healthy homelife and feels satisfied and comfortable, they will be more capable of carrying out their job role. Organisations now make greater commitments to helping their people achieve this balance as it increases productivity, boosts morale whilst reducing absenteeism, presenteeism and staff turnover.

By providing people in the organisation with room to breathe, employees will be more engaged in work, more committed to achieving the goals of their team and the organisation and avoids burnout. In a recent study by Mental Health UK, it has been found that 91% of people experienced high levels of pressure or stress in the past year and 21% felt they had to take time off work due to poor mental health caused by stress. The impact of burnout is clear, causing an emotional disconnect from an organisation and increasing the number of absences, which will only negatively impact performance in the long run.

Organisations and leaders are now committing to creating a healthy and manageable environment for their people. This will not only benefit employee’s mental health, but also their physical health. If a person’s work is dominating their homelife, and they are consistently bringing work home with them, they will find less time to exercise, maintain a balanced diet or even sleep. With increased stresses and, less time to manage them and building pressure from work, the detrimental effects of poor mental health can have a knock-on effect to a person’s physical condition.

Tips to improve work-life balance

Here are some quick tips you can use to help improve your work-life balance:

• Establish boundaries Lay out clear and established boundaries. It could be as simple as a person making it clear they will be unavailable outside of working hours unless it is for an emergency. Scheduling a clear cut-off to focus on a person’s homelife allows time to focus on being present and mindful.

• Prioritise Whether it is in work or at home, it is vital to prioritise tasks. If there is a tight deadline or crucial project, give them priority. Take the pressure and intensity out of the demand by focusing on one task at a time. Do not be afraid to say no to requests, explain priorities and delegate if necessary.

• Manage time effectively Segmenting time to focus on different tasks in work will help to make workloads feel more manageable. Compartmentalising daily tasks will remove the pressure and begin to face tasks in a different way, which will help maintain focus.

• Schedule personal time Personal time gives an individual a moment to detach from work when stress begins to build. From socialising with friends, to exercising, or going to the cinema, taking this time allows for anxiety and stress to subside.

• Monitor progress Tracking the progress towards goals allows for reflection on how far someone has progressed. If a person is striving towards a level of performance in work to progress their career or looking to lose weight in the gym, it can be demoralising to not see immediate results. However, there is always progression, so keeping track to visualise it will help maintain focus on the task.

• Plan time-off Planning holidays in advance provides an occasion to maintain motivation. Time off gives a person the ability to disconnect and focus on themselves. It also rejuvenates them, so they are prepared to work when they return.

How can an EAP help?

An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provides employees a confidential, safe space to discuss any professional or personal issues they are currently experiencing and will assist them with these problems. If an individual is experiencing stress caused by a lack of work-life separation, EAP counsellors will provide them with expert, accredited advice. Through effective counselling, individuals can receive assistance and find the correct balance to maximise their productivity in a working environment and at home.

Conclusion

Healthy work-life balance is key to success, not only on an individual level, but also to an organisational degree. If an individual is suffering from burnout, stress, anxiety or depression caused by a poor work-life balance, the chances of absenteeism and presenteeism is hugely increased. Giving people the space to organise and maximise their personal lives will only encourage greater results in their workplace performance.