Work-life balance is a way of managing the demands of work with personal life and the things that make a worker happy, such as hobbies or social activities. A good work-life balance means a worker can be happy and productive at work and also have time to do things for himself and his family outside his work plan. Work-life balance means finding equilibrium between the demands of professional and personal life. Good work-life balance looks different for every individual, but it always requires making a conscious effort to recognise the activities that will complement one’s work activities.
Work-life balance is not just a fashionable catchphrase; it has real consequences on workers’ physical and mental health, their job performance, and their personal relationships with others, especially co-workers. Business owners and employees who take time to improve their work-life balance are more productive. Often, work takes precedence over other things in our lives because work is the source of funds. Our desire to succeed professionally can push us to set aside our own well-being. Creating a harmonious work-life balance or work-life integration is critical as it helps to improve not only our physical, emotional and mental well-being, but also to succeed in our career.
In short, work-life balance is the state of equilibrium where a person equally prioritises the demands of one’s career and the demands of one’s personal life. Work-life balance is very important because health is wealth. Many people see the need for work-life balance, but it is not always easy to achieve. Some of the common reasons that lead to a poor work-life balance include: (i) Increased responsibilities at work, (ii) Working longer hours in other to make more money to meet one’s aspirations, (iii) Increased responsibilities at home, and (iv) Thinking too much of family members and children.
It is important to work toward reaching and maintaining a healthy equilibrium between your personal and professional life. In February 2023, Chris Chancey, career expert and CEO of Amplio Recruiting, said a good work-life balance has numerous positive effects, including stress reduction, a lower risk of burnout and a greater sense of well-being. This is profitable to both employees and employers. “Employers who are committed to providing environments that support work-life balance for their employees can save on costs, experience fewer cases of absenteeism, and enjoy a more loyal and productive workforce,” according to Chancey. Employers that offer options such as telecommuting or flexible work schedules can help employees have a better work-life balance.
Work-life balance is more important in a period of economic crisis when you need to work harder to meet the past standard of living or business target. Economic crunch makes achieving work-life balance a little bit harder! It is a known fact that work plays a significant part in all our lives. Our earnings ensure that the lights stay on, there is food on the table and the future rainy-day pot will be full. With the looming cost of living crisis, inflation in Nigeria at over 28 percent and food prices skyrocketing, no one is underplaying the importance of earning enough to make a living.
We are growing increasingly more connected through technology and social media. For many, working from home has become the new normal. It is becoming more and more difficult to separate work from our personal lives. It is commonplace to check emails at all hours, take business calls at the dinner table and work long hours at one stretch on our laptops on weekends.
Employers expect more from their employees, which leads the employees feeling more pressure to achieve greater results. These pressures appear to have reached a breaking point, as people realise that they need to achieve better balance in their lives. As a business leader and employer, you have a responsibility to help all your team and employees to juggle the demands of their work and personal lives. Even the goal-getter employees may still be struggling to find balance between work and life.
How can you improve work-life balance?
Improving work-life balance is making efforts to find the best way to spend your time in office and at home with the aim of thriving at the office as well as at home.When creating a schedule that works for you, think about the best way to achieve balance at work and in your personal life. Chancey said that work-life balance is less about dividing the hours in your day evenly between work and personal life and more about having the flexibility to get things done in your professional life while still having time and energy to enjoy your personal life. There may be some days when you work longer hours so you have time later in the week to enjoy other activities. You may also decide to dedicate Saturday and Sunday to your family.
Work-life balance has been, for a very long time, in discussions a lot recently and rightly so! What this means for those in HR or leadership roles is that it is important to understand how key balance is creating engaged and happy workers. A healthy work-life balance allows everyone to excel at work and take care of their personal well being outside of the office. To have balanced work-life sessions, practise the following:
- Close of work at a reasonable hour (5 – 10 hours). If you spend long work hours at your business, you are at a greater risk of breaking down.
- Take periodic breaks during work. You can decide to stand up and stroll around your office after sitting down for two hours.
- Say ‘No’ to excessive work each day.
- Schedule time for fun and keep to it.
- Create a “To-Do List” and make sure you balance your list with work and personal activities.
- Leave some work at work for the following working day and do not attempt to finish a week’s work in a day.
- Make time for yourself and family.
A study by Aviva in August 2022 titled “Work-life balance overtakes salary post-pandemic”, has been an eye opener in recent times. It revealed that, since the pandemic, people have become more focused on work-life balance than salary. Aviva stated that “More workers said they were attracted to their current role for the work-life balance (41%) than the salary (36%). Almost 9 in 10 (88%) employees said workplace benefits, and not salary, improve their overall happiness. This is a switch in rankings compared to 2019, before the pandemic.” Work-life balance is not an option; it is a part and parcel of the healthy living of a worker.
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