With the Work from home transforming into a new normal, there are these furloughs and sackings and the over-seas escapes which is making the work life balance out of the zone. While celebrating the National Work life Week, an opportunity was presented for the employers to focus on the well-being and alignment of the workforces. Many researches were conducted in the previous year, found out that 61 per cent opted to have a home working environment was best for them. But there are certain exceptions like the working parents were finding it hard to manage both their professional life and the child’s needs. Sodexo Engage, an employee welfare company gave out few tips to balance this work life pressure and maintain the productivity levels in check. Below listed are few of them.
Get talking- We no longer gossip in the kitchen, or stopover by someone’s desk for a conversation. Without that physical company, it’s harder for coworkers and managers to see when someone is stressed. Employers can help through by organizing regular check-ins by phone. Rather than simply focusing on to-do lists, these should be used to converse about responsibilities and ask if any help is required. These roads should trace the non-work topics to reinforce the social wellbeing.
Encourage the time away- One of the disadvantages of working from home is that home converts into the office. This loss of time and space between professional and personal lives can be a little problematic. It’s all too informal to answer work emails and handle other concerns outside of office hours, which is a recipe for poor health. Burned-out workforces are 63 percent more likely to take a sick day and 2.6 times more likely to leave their current company, according to Gallup. Industries can push for employees to close their laptops at an assured hour, and could even go as far as prohibition of work emails exterior of certain hours. Employees need to be repeatedly reminded to use their annual leave, even if it’s for a long weekend at home. Getting away from the screen has never been more important than it is now.
Get flexible- Flexitime permits employees to fit their waged hours around individual requirements. Beginning or ending the day earlier, shifting the spot into a part-time role, or functioning on compressed hours are some of the possible answers. This can permit the staff to work at times when they are at their most productive and involved, while agreeing to the time to pursue passions outside of work.
Providing professional support- From doubts about pay cuts to the anxiety of breathing and working during a pandemic, there’s abundant pressure on workers right now. It’s very important and mandatory that proper mental health support is in available. Contribution of an employee assistance program can give staff confidential access to expert mental health therapists.
Re-evaluate working from home – When the offices reopen, many companies may want to get everyone back in. But some on both sides of the screen may want to maintain the work-from-home model. Research from Cardiff University and the University of Southampton found that 47 per cent of personnel want the system to continue. Along with this, Working Families, a work-life balance charity, found that 48 per cent of parents and care givers gaged the plan to make changes to their old work design.
With No commuting, travel time lost think of all the other things a team can achieve by this introduction of a more permanent remote working policy. It just the balance which is required for all the employers and the workforce to build a strong community and achieve more in the field.