How can you promote work-life harmony for your employees?
Work-life harmony is the state of balance and integration between one's personal and professional roles. It can enhance employee well-being, productivity, and loyalty, as well as reduce stress, burnout, and turnover. However, achieving work-life harmony is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It depends on the individual preferences, needs, and circumstances of each employee. As a human resources (HR) professional, you can play a key role in promoting work-life harmony for your employees by implementing some of the following strategies.
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Mayank SharmaHR professional| Head Talent Management | LinkedIn Top Voice| Failed Entrepreneur| Career Guidance Coach | Writer +…
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Haley ONeillTalent Partner @ Aescape
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Natália SoaresRH, se posicione, construa autoridade e ATRAIA negócios no Linkedin | Mentora de RHS & Linkedin | Top Voice & Top 10 RH…
Before you can improve work-life harmony, you need to understand the current state of affairs in your organization. How do your employees perceive their work-life balance? What are the main sources of conflict or dissatisfaction? What are the existing policies and practices that support or hinder work-life harmony? You can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or other methods to gather feedback from your employees and managers. You can also benchmark your organization against industry standards or best practices.
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Promoting work-life harmony for employees is essential for their well-being, satisfaction, and overall productivity. Here are some strategies: Flexible Work Arrangements. Encourage Time Off Set Clear Expectations Provide Support for Care Responsibilities Promote Boundaries Wellness Programs Workload Management Open Communication Provide Resources for Professional Development Recognition and Appreciation Technology Boundaries Offer Mental Health Resources
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Work-Life balance is vital for team members to perform well, to enjoy their work and to bring their best to their role every day...their work role and their life role. Here are a few great ideas: 1. Flexible scheduling and/or remote work options (where applicable) 2. Flex Time or "Unlimited PTO". Allows the team member to use their judgement and collaborate with their team(s) when using PTO. No fixed, rigid days to "use or lose". 3. Employee recognition and award platform. It should be interactive and allow two-way communication between managers and employees, and employees to employees. 4. Round Table (Focus Group) discussions hosted by People & Culture Teams to assess the needs of the team members & implement ideas that support balance.
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Promote work-life harmony by: - Offering flexible schedules - Encouraging vacation time - Setting no after-hours work expectations - Balancing workloads - Providing wellbeing perks - Getting employee feedback - Showing staff you care personally
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Sonal Arora
Passion for Compunnel | People Experience Leader | NLP Practitioner I Design Thinker
(edited)Work life balance is so essential for the growth and sustenance of the organisation. In the post Covid era, work life balance simply means working from home, which is truly a misconception. Work life balance can be very well obtained when you are in office. 1. Time management 2. Prioritise the tasks 3. Stay agile, if something critical comes through the day. 4. Don't work over the weekends until absolutely necessary 5. Follow the shift hours 6. Be happy and enjoy the time with your colleagues 7. Enjoy the engagement activities 8. Stay healthy and be energetic 9. Make good and mindful decisions. A tired mind is prone to multiple errors and stress10. Be smart to identify the difference between activities and productive results.
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It's important for action to match words. If you tell your team that you honor work-life harmony and then fire off emails at 4 in the morning and late on weekend nights, people may not view the talk about harmony as authentic. A quick policy to put into action is to have set hours during which its ok to email/text (with exception of emergencies). If team members have the urge to get a jump on an email it should be scheduled for the next available work hour.
One of the most effective ways to promote work-life harmony is to offer flexible work options that allow your employees to customize their work schedule, location, and intensity according to their personal and professional needs. Flexible work options can include telecommuting, flextime, compressed workweek, job sharing, part-time, or reduced hours. Flexible work options can benefit both employees and employers by increasing autonomy, satisfaction, performance, retention, and cost savings. However, you need to ensure that flexible work options are aligned with the organizational goals, culture, and expectations, and that they are applied fairly and consistently.
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Certainly the better options to promote better balance between work and life would be to allow remote / hybrid work options; however, not every business is successful in implementing this nor is it effective. One main cause to why remote is not an option for some companies is the work culture. Some companies are all about the work culture and fear going remote will get rid of that. Plus, more time for employees to get another job and invest time outside their company.
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Flexible work options are a hit and employees admire it too. If we have to obtain various skills and talent it is important to be agile and keep the policies flexible to be able to obtain the right talent.
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In an increasingly interconnected world, flexible working hours can facilitate collaboration across different time zones, allowing employees to work more effectively with colleagues, clients, or partners in various locations. Life circumstances can change, and flexible working hours provide employees with the ability to adapt to personal challenges, such as childcare needs, health issues, or other unexpected events.
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Work flexibility and work-life balance sometimes conflict with Italian regulations.Promoting flexibility is good, however, it is necessary to protect the health and safety of workers. For example, in our company we had to deal with the issue of car accidents if people are going to different places than the company you belong to. Please before promoting flexibility, carefully check with experts that this allows employees to act safely.
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These days many organization are offering "Work flexibility" specially after COVID. As per my understanding the benefit of such flexibilities depend only on employee how they are planning their day/working hours with owning the job responsibilities. Few major benefits, as employee can save the traveling time and expense. they can devote more time to work which increase the performance. Whereas the employers can save the administrative cost. Do have few drawbacks like less interactions with colleague, lesser knowledge transfer etc. So this is a kind of win win situation for both employee and employer.
Another way to promote work-life harmony is to provide wellness and career development programs that help your employees improve their physical, mental, and emotional health, as well as their skills, knowledge, and career prospects. Wellness programs can include health screenings, fitness classes, counseling services, mindfulness training, or employee assistance programs. Career development programs can include mentoring, coaching, training, education, or career planning. Wellness and career development programs can enhance your employees' well-being, motivation, engagement, and loyalty, as well as reduce absenteeism, turnover, and health care costs.
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Além dos programas de bem-estar e desenvolvimento de carreira, acredito que flexibilidade no local de trabalho é fundamental para promover a harmonia entre a vida profissional e pessoal. Oferecer opções de trabalho remoto ou horários flexíveis pode fazer uma grande diferença. Os funcionários realmente se desconectam do trabalho fora do horário comercial, respeitando seu tempo pessoal. Outra sugestão é criar um ambiente de trabalho que valorize pausas e momentos de descanso durante o dia. Por fim, promova uma cultura de comunicação aberta, onde os funcionários se sentem confortáveis para discutir suas necessidades e desafios, é essencial para entender e atender às suas necessidades de equilíbrio entre a vida profissional e pessoal.
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In the last few years, Wellness and Career Development Plans have gained a lot of light. I see both of these two topics differently - Wellness is more about heart, mind , body and soul. The way by which an organization contributing to keeping their employees engaged and happy. Career Development Plans on the other hand is the way to employ career progression within the organization. The way by which the organization is opening doors to give a chance to the new and potential talent.
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From my Safety professional perspective, consider implementing wellness initiatives like ergonomic assessments, stress management workshops, and health screenings. Additionally, career development programs can include safety training modules, mentorship for job-specific skills, and regular performance reviews with a safety focus. Integration of safety principles into ongoing training reinforces a culture of well-being and career growth.
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As an employer, staying invested in well-being of professionals through various programs reflects how they care for individuals at large. Career development programs help retain talent and open up multiple avenues for the organisation and individuals too.
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oster work-life harmony by implementing comprehensive wellness and career development programs for employees. Prioritize mental and physical health initiatives, offer flexible schedules, and invest in professional growth opportunities. Create a supportive environment that values both personal well-being and career advancement, cultivating a balanced and fulfilling work experience for your team.
A supportive culture is one that values and respects the diverse needs and preferences of your employees, and fosters a sense of trust, collaboration, and communication among them. You can encourage a supportive culture by setting clear and realistic expectations, providing regular and constructive feedback, recognizing and rewarding achievements, promoting teamwork and cooperation, and resolving conflicts and issues promptly and effectively. You can also model and promote positive behaviors and attitudes, such as showing empathy, gratitude, and appreciation, respecting boundaries and privacy, and avoiding micromanagement and overwork.
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I totally agree with all the points mentioned above. To me personally, the culture of an organization is directly proportional to longevity within the organization. Employees would like to stay where their basics are getting fulfilled and to me the basics are - empathy, respect for each other, less micromanagement, people first approach.
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It's critical to ensure that your employees are taking time off, particularly with an unlimited/flex PTO policy. Making sure that all employees are taking a minimum X days off per year goes a long way in promoting and encouraging work-life harmony. We cannot work or live at our best without maintaining this balance.
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Foster work-life harmony by cultivating a supportive culture that values well-being. Prioritize clear communication, flexible schedules, and promote a healthy work environment. Encourage self-care, recognize achievements, and provide resources for professional development. Strive for a balanced approach, empowering employees to excel in both their personal and professional lives
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One thing I have found helpful is to be more supportive when it is needed most. While adverse and challenging situations, help employees with more empathy. But ensure the empathically chosen words needs to be meaningful. If you've experienced any of such challenges, share your stories how you overcome those. Share if you've live examples or else the efforts won't make any impact.
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Taking care of each other and allowing time off with loved ones, sets an example of encouraging well-being of professionals. Fostering a culture of disconnecting collectively as a firm for wellbeing stands out for me.
Finally, you can promote work-life harmony by involving your employees in the process of designing, implementing, and evaluating the strategies that affect their work-life balance. You can solicit their input and feedback, listen to their concerns and suggestions, and empower them to make decisions and take actions that suit their work-life harmony goals. You can also create a work-life harmony committee or task force that represents the diverse perspectives and interests of your employees, and that monitors and reports on the progress and outcomes of the work-life harmony initiatives.
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The biggest mistake sometimes HR department does is creating strategies and programs in closed offices without knowing the pain points of employees. Superficial attempts like limiting the no. of hours worked per week won't yield results as long as managers are not convinced. To ensure effective work life harmony, the leadership should trickle it as a top priority and then all stakeholders like unit heads, managers and employees themselves should be connected with to understand how to make a sustainable and practical plan. A special committee to review the process timely, identify root causes of exceptions and then fixing it will further ensure longevity.
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I was leading a high-performing team. We were in hyper-growth, they had meaningful, challenging jobs, we had a fantastic team dynamic, and I was concerned what their performance was costing them personally. I didn't want to lose anyone on the team, so I needed to make sure they didn't burn out. So I made wellbeing OKRs (objective key results) for myself (because I needed this too) and asked them to do the same and share them with me. Simple things they could commit to that would enhance their lives that were uniquely personal. Things like, start the day reading and meditating or take 1 walking meeting/week. We found ways to support each other's goals and it helped me see ways I could support them individually and what they valued.
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Foster work-life harmony by engaging employees in decision-making. Encourage open communication, flexible schedules, and collaborative goal-setting. Prioritize well-being initiatives and seek feedback to tailor policies. Empower employees to balance professional and personal priorities, promoting a harmonious work environment that values and integrates their individual needs.
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Percebo que um erro comum na busca pela harmonia entre a vida profissional e pessoal é não envolver os funcionários no processo. Muitas vezes, as estratégias são inovadoras sem considerar suas reais necessidades ou opiniões. É fundamental ouvir, realmente entender suas preocupações e permitir que Eles participam ativamente das decisões. Criar um comitê diversificado para monitorar e relatar o progresso é uma ótima maneira de garantir que as vozes de todos sejam ouvidas e valorizadas.
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Pulse surveys and culture surveys are great when they return data that tells you how employees are feeling; especially when it comes to work-life balance. However, I encourage all HR professionals and their leaders, after the survey results are quantified, to conduct meaningful focus groups in an attempt to dive into what the survey results really mean. This is where real HR strategy is born. For example, a survey may identify the need to flexible scheduling options, hybrid schedules, alternative schedules or more PTO. Now, the richness of detail for the strategy comes from asking a select group of employees “What do these options really look like to you?” Many would be happy to provide insight, assuming that they want to participate.
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Work-life balance is hard to get 100% right because it looks different to each individual. I think the important thing here is creating a foundation of flexibility. Once the foundation is set, it's important to encourage your team to flex when needed- not only does this help build trust, but it creates less stress and happier employees.
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It starts with awareness, fostering colleagues to discover their individual need and to help them achieve the right setup. The desired ratio and formula could be different from one person to an other … so the first step is to understand what is yours …
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Work-life balance is a twisted terms used in many ways based on the situation and comfort. Work-life is the life on Work or beyond it? This is a question for every professional and I do not agree to the fact that it is only about your work life. A lot of people to choose to go to gym, practice the sports, volunteer for a cause, learn music lessons, do part-time theatre and these are something related their hobby, passion. This brings out their best as an individual and fuel to their happiness. And they do without making any compromises with their work or performances. This is something I would suggest and recommend as to consider as a real example of a well balanced Work-life.
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Além dos pontos indicados, acredito que é crucial estabelecer limites claros entre trabalho e vida pessoal. Isso inclui normas sobre o tempo fora do expediente e evitar a expectativa de disponibilidade constante. Também é importante promover um ambiente onde o tempo de qualidade, tanto no trabalho quanto na vida pessoal, seja valorizado acima das horas trabalhadas. Reconhecer e celebrar as conquistas pessoais dos funcionários também ajuda a criar um ambiente mais humano e empático.
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I am currently exploring opportunities for employees to utilize technology. These resources will help employees effectively manage their time, double their productivity and reduce burnout. Eg. Training on use of ChatGpt, AI extensions, etc 👾
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