Most traditional workdays are supposed to end at 5 PM. It can, however, persist late into the evening and even into the weekend for many people. Poor work-life balance is a major problem in such cases that can interfere with employee morale and productivity.
Although new or small businesses cannot guarantee their employees a perfect work-life balance, there are numerous things employers can do. William Schantz says that people must also take some responsibility for adjusting their attitudes toward work and home life.
Here are a few tips for startup owners to help workers achieve and maintain the correct work-life balance:
Keep Their Hours Flexible
Many startup owners are unable to offer high benefit packages. To make up for this, you can start with a small change that has a big influence on your team’s lives, like flexible work schedules.
Employees who have more flexibility and freedom have more control over their schedules, leading to a better work-life balance and higher job satisfaction. While some professions need tight adherence to stringent time commitments, others are not constrained by a set time frame. If you prioritize production over hours worked, you may be able to give your staff more freedom.
Take Their Needs into Consideration
Work-life balance can mean different things to different people. Ask your staff what they value the most or how to best apply new work-life balance initiatives. William Schantz says that you will not spend time and money on ineffective efforts this way. Moreover, keep in mind that you need to review your policies on a regular basis to guarantee that your employees have a healthy work-life balance.
Preach Productivity & Encourage Them to Take Breaks
Encourage managers to place a greater emphasis on completing a given task than on the number of hours their teams work. Employees may be needed to work long hours to complete a task on some days, but this can be counter balanced by days when they are not required to spend an entire eight-hour day.
Encourage your employees to take breaks, walk around the office, or work from a different place. You can create break-out areas or set aside spare workstations for staff to utilize. They can use them to take a break from the office gossip and their cell phones to relax.
Allow Them to Work Remotely
COVID-19 has caused global disruption, but it has also been a fantastic remote work experiment, demonstrating that it is a viable option for businesses. Remote employment allows some team members to better combine work and family life. Of course, many people have also found working from home to be a complete disaster. You can create a policy that allows both sides to thrive when it comes to remote work.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, according to William Schantz, give your employees enough leverage so that they can make time for themselves. Whether it is spending time with friends and family or participating in a hobby, they should have some time left after work hours. Moreover, you can stay confident that it is not jeopardizing the survival of your company because work-life balance eventually increases productivity. It also aids in the enhancement of your employees’ physical and mental well-being, as well as a lower turnover rate.
