How Employees Can Achieve Work-Life Balance & 5 Ways HRM Can Contribute
What is Work-Life Balance?
In the modern world, occupations have been complicated with competition and family lives have been complicated with increased needs and wants of people. Organizations always try to improve performance and employees always try to earn more and go up on the ladder of career. In this context, at some point people lose the equilibrium between work life and family life. This causes people to fail in both workplace and family life. Different definitions have been given by professionals and researchers for the context of work-life balance and following are some of them;
A state of equilibrium in which the demands of both a person's job and personal life are equal. (Lockwood, 2003,2)
Work–family balance reflects an individual’s orientation
across different life roles, an inter-role phenomenon.
‘Work–life balance is about people having a measure of
control over when, where and how they work.’
“The amount of time you spend doing your job compared with the amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy”. (Definition of work-life balance noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
Importance of Work-Life Balance
Maintaining a good balance between duties in the workplace and family relationships reduces the stress level of a person, improves the mental & physical health, gives happiness and fulfillment, improves social relationships and it encourages the person to succeed in career as well as in family life (Thomas, 2021).
How to Achieve Work-Life Balance
Achieving this goal depends on the attitudes of the employees and on the working environment. Also, this cannot be achieved in one day or in a shorter period as it can be achieved by following some practices and improving them. Also, such practices are not exactly written somewhere and there is not any prescribed method as those depend on many characteristics such as personality, attitudes, skills, education, intelligence etc. of the individual (Pham, 2023). Following are some of strategies to achieve work-life balance for a person.
1. Time Management
Time management is one of the best practices to manage office duties in any working condition. The person who masters effective time management can accomplish tasks easier, more quickly and effectively. There are many time management strategies that can be applied and one of proven and most practiced strategies among professionals is Eisenhower Matrix. Dwight Eisenhower is the 34th U.S president before becoming the president, he had worked for the U.S Army as a commander during the World War II(University of St.Augustine for Health Sciences, n.d.). This strategy has been developed by him based on his experience in taking decisions in his professional life.
Figure 1: Eisenhower Matrix (University of St.Augustine for Health Sciences , n.d.)
2. Having time frames to finish each work
Parkinson's Law says that "work will expand to fill the time allotted for its completion". That means, even a work which can be completed in short time with higher effort may be dragged when a person has more time to finish the same. This reduces productivity and encourages procrastinating in someone's mind. Therefore, a time frame for each office work to be decided with past experience and should practice doing it more productively every time. This avails more time to attend other duties and to have stress free mind (Boogaard, 2022).
3. Avoiding distractions and time wasting in the workplace.
Most people cannot continue the duty till the completion after getting started as they are distracted by the external things such as using social media, telephone calls, unwanted discussions, and many things. This may cause to happen mistakes and sometimes even serious other issues which may take more time to fix. Hence, practicing finishing something started without distraction is an important point (Valier, 2023).
4. Having a proper plan/to do list
A person with a proper plan can always manage the situation. Everyday, an employee or an entrepreneur should have a plan on the things to be completed during the day. This is important for employees to have a clear idea on the things to be completed by himself without missing any responsibility. This creates a positive environment in the office from others and superiors where the employee is always in mindfulness on the job role. Also, this increases the level of confidence of the employee to work (Eby , 2023).
5.Maintaining healthy relationships in the workplace
Employees should always maintain good and healthy relationships with internal staff. Understanding coworkers' situations, being flexible with others, respecting to coworkers' opinions, obeying with organization policies, working as a team, attending to solve other employees' problems and such things create a better working environment for all. This can heal any employee and can reduce the stress level of any circumstance (Cooks, 2023).
6. Having adequate sleep
This is one of most important things in life and a person
may have at least 6-7 hours’ sleep everyday to refresh the mind and body. It
helps to reduce stress and improves memory.
7. Having a Healthy Meal/Exercise
This helps for physically and mentally healthy life and can
avoid serious deceases.
How Human Resources Management Department of an Organization Can Contribute for Employees' Work-Life Balance
Human Resources Managers can play an important role in creating a work-life balanced culture for employees in the organization. HR Department can take strategical decisions and give solutions which enable employees to have a balance between their professional life and their family life. In the modern world, most of organizations have recognized this as an important strategy for the development of the company as well as for the wellbeing of employees. Following are some of policies and strategies HR Departments of organizations implement for achieving this goal.
1. Implementing flexible working hours & "work from home" facilities
These flexible working arrangements allows employees to have comfortable working schedules and to do the duties productively. With present development of technology, employees are able to engage in duties without being at the office full time. These methods were successfully used during the Covid 19 pandemic situation and many companies still continue the same considering its benefits to the employees as well as for the organizations. (Qualtrics, n.d.)
2. Following efficient leave/vacation management system in the organization
Having a break from office work after a period of working is very important and it gives energy to work over the year. During the vacation, employees can be with their families and break the rhythm of work life in order to gain more energy and enthusiasm to restart working again.
Having efficient leave management system allows all employees to take a break from work in a fair manner without overloading work for other staff members in the department. Some industries has introduced mandatory leave system with an holiday allowance in order to promote this system. (Maura Thomas, 2022)
3. Providing relevant facilities for employees to rest and enjoy
Employees stay in the office more time than they stay with their family during the day and taking break during office time is very important to maintain the momentum of the office duties. Companies can provide resting areas, sports and wellness facilities and also specified time duration for one person for resting/having meals etc. for employees. These implementations are important for physical and mental health of the employees and develop a work-life balance culture in the organization and help to release employees' tension and stress.
4. Providing training, development & motivation sessions
One of main roles of HRM of the organization is conducting training and development sessions for employees for their development. By conducting training sessions, HR can refresh employees' minds, sharpen their knowledge, improve skills, educate them on productive working methods and also can give timely motivation for them.
5. Creation of team building working environment, giving recognition for employees' ideas and practicing fair policies
Team engagements can reduce stress level and solve many problems. This helps to improve relationships among staff members and to get better output. Also, increasing employee engagement in decision making in the organization gives employees opportunities to discuss about issues facing and to give innovative ideas to the company. This makes employees feel their value to the organization (Webber, 2022).
Also, one of most important thing is having fair policies in the organization in the processes such as performance management, promotions, salary increments etc.
Conclusion
Achieving Work-Life Balance is a possible challenge where employees should have positive attitudes, time management skills, good planning, healthy relationships and also HRM of the organization may contribute for employees by conducting training programs and creating a better working environment by implementing good HRM practices.
References
Boogaard,
K. (2022) What is Parkinson’s Law and why is it sabotaging your
productivity?. [Online]
Available from: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/what-is-parkinsons-law
[Accessed 18 July 2023].
Cooks, A. (2023) How
to have a good work-life balance. [Online]
Available from: https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-have-good-work-life-balance#:~:text=Healthy%20work%2Dlife%20balance%20refers,%2Dcare%20and%20well%2Dbeing.
[Accessed 18 July 2023].
Eby , K. (2023) How
To Improve Work-Life Balance: 17 Tips for Success. [Online]
Available from: https://www.smartsheet.com/content/how-to-improve-work-life-balance
[Accessed 18 July 2023].
Fleetwood, S.(2007) Re-thinking work-life balance: editor's introduction. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(3) 351.
Greenhaus,
J.H., Collins, K.M. and Shaw, D. J. (2023) The relation between work-family balance and quality of life. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63(3)511.
Lockward, N.
R. (2003) Work/life balance: challenges and solutions. Society for Human Resource Management, 2.
Maura Thomas, (2022). 11 Proven Ways Companies Can Improve Work-Life Balance. [Online]
Available from: https://maurathomas.com/how-companies-improve-work-life-balance/
[Accessed 18 July 2023].
Pham, E. (2023) Five
Strategies For Improving Work-Life Balance. [Online]
Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/02/27/five-strategies-for-improving-work-life-balance/?sh=422c6638a745 [Accessed 18 July 2023].
Pullein, C.,
2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1R8MMnVnt8&t=10s. s.l.:Youtube.
Qualtrics (n.d.) Employee work-life balance: What is & the benefits you should be offering. [Online]
Available from: https://www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/employee/employee-work-life-balance/
Suraj, C. (2022). Parkinson's Law. [Online] Available from: https://www.surajc.com/parkinsons-law/
[Accessed 18 July 2023].
Thomas, L. (2021) Importance
of a Work-Life Balance. [Online]
Available from: https://www.news-medical.net/health/Importance-of-a-Work-Life-Balance.aspx#:~:text=With%20a%20satisfactory%20work%2Dlife,benefit%20from%20achieving%20this%20balance. [Accessed 18 July 2023].
University of St.Augustine for Health Sciences ( n.d). 9 Proven Time Management Techniques and Tools| USAHS. [Online] Available from: https://www.usa.edu/blog/time-management-techniques/ [Accessed 18 July 2023].
Valier, K. (2023) Top
5 time wasters in the workplace + how to avoid them. [Online]
Available from: https://factorialhr.com/blog/time-wasters/ [Accessed 18 July 2023].
Webber, A. (2022) How to Support Work-Life Balance & Keep Employees Happy. [Online]
Available from: https://www.teambonding.com/support-work-life-balance/ [Accessed 18 August 2023].
It is true that no matter how talented you are at work, if you do not build your personal life and family life carefully, you will have to face many problems. So it is a meaningful article that describes how time management can be effective in health, extra activities, family discussions and recreation, relations with neighbors, etc.
ReplyDeleteMake sure to end sentences with full stops.
ReplyDeleteIf you are referring to any other source, don't forget to cite it. There is no citation under the following topic. It means all these contents are your own thoughts. Normally, in the academic field own thoughts should be supported by other literature.
If you can have a conclusion for each posting, the readers will have a take-home message.
Suggesting employees take time for themselves sends them the message that their well-being is just as important as productivity. Breaks also allow employees to recharge and return to work more engaged. Leading by example can encompass your employees' mental and physical health.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you sharing your knowledge because it's crucial for businesses.
Offering employees paid time off for life events like welcoming a child or grieving the loss of a loved one can help people with work-life balance, especially during times when an employee's personal life requires more of their time and attention.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you sharing your knowledge because it's crucial for businesses.
Work-life balance has a tremendous influence on employee performance, corporate performance, innovation, and long-term success, resulting in a motivated workforce. However, some organizations are still unable to see this in today's world.
ReplyDeletethanks for this
Organizational productivity increases through employee productivity .It can lead to a motivated workforce.Work-life balance makes it extremely powerful.
ReplyDeleteAchieving work-life balance is a continuous effort and may require adjustments and prioritization. It is important for employees to advocate for their own well-being and communicate their needs to create a healthy work-life balance
ReplyDeleteWork life balance is a important fact we need to consider when following our daily routine of work. This directly impact on the performance and both physical and mental health as well. This article clearly explain the impacts and how HR create strategies in supporting employee well being.
ReplyDeleteVery important topic! Work-life balance is crucial for employee productivity and well-being; it is not just a trendy concept. HRM is essential in this context. They can significantly alter the nature of the workplace, from flexible schedules to wellness initiatives.
ReplyDeleteSimply we can defined Work-life balance wasn’t always a hard promise to make to ourselves. Once employees left the office and their computers didn’t come home with them, it was almost inevitable to focus on home life.
ReplyDeleteWork-life balance is a trending term in the Human Resource Management (HRM) field due to the increasing complexity of workplace. The meaning of work-life balance for an employee who is young and single may not be the same as for another employee who is married and is a senior. Organisations need to promote workplace cultures that are flexible enough to craft different solutions based on individuals to support their unique circumstances.
ReplyDeleteExploring emerging trends in work-life balance, such as the implementation of well-being apps, mental health support, and flexible work arrangements, would demonstrate a forward-looking approach.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the practical approach of this post. The step-by-step strategies you've outlined, like creating a structured routine and learning to delegate, are actionable and can make a real impact on achieving that work-life balance we all strive for.
ReplyDelete