The Benefits & Importance Of Work Life Balance For Employees & Employers

Dan Goldsmith | 16 March, 2023 | Est. reading time: 7 minutes
ios_share
importance of work life balance
The benefits and importance of work life balance are as important for your business as it is for your employees. Assisting your staff to balance their professional and personal lives will pay dividends in the long run.

The Work Life Balance Theory

According to the work-life balance theory, the core value lies in encouraging your employees to maintain a positive balance between work and home. The notion is that individuals who understand how to achieve a better work life balance would be happier and more satisfied with both aspects of their lives, allowing them to prosper in both - this further signifies the importance of work life balance.

If you can assist your staff to achieve a good work life balance and explain to them the Importance Of Work Life Balance, your firm will profit in a variety of ways, including:

  • Better staff retention
  • Increased productivity
  • Higher employee engagement
  • More profitability
  • Strong brand reputation & more applicants
  • Increased morale
  • Reduced absenteeism

Of course, it also helps your staff in many ways, including the following:
  • Better time management
  • Personal growth
  • Better focus
  • Higher engagement
  • Personal health & wellbeing
  • Feel more valued
  • Reduced stress

Each successful company understands that investing in people is one of the most valuable things you can do. Your company relies on the skill of the people who work for it, so keeping them interested and happy can help your company grow.

Importance of Work life Balance & Satisfaction

According to a poll conducted by Investors in People, 66% of employees are seeking ways to improve their work-life balance, and 24% are unhappy at work. This suggests that employees are not only dissatisfied but that they value job satisfaction over increased income. Individuals understand that they must spend the majority of their lives at work and seek meaning and fulfilment in their careers.

Promoting the Importance of Work Life Balance for Employees

Before you can implement new rules in your company to encourage better work-life balance, you must first assess the diversity of your workforce. The composition of your teams will influence whatever improvements you make and who benefits the most from them.

Flexible Working Hours

Flexible working hours are becoming more of a need than a luxury. With more millennials in the workforce than ever before, the need for flexible working hours has never been greater. Employees may attend to essential personal concerns while working with flexible scheduling. With today's technological advances, it has never been easier to promote a flexible working programme in your organisation.

In addition to the importance of work life balance, embracing flexible working has a variety of other advantages, including:

  • Reduced sickness levels
  • A reduction in staff turnover
  • Allowing people to work when they accomplish the most
  • Extended operational hours

Alternative Working Days

Most firms have gotten used to working eight-hour days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nevertheless, studies have shown that this is not the greatest strategy to create a happy and productive team. Several businesses are considering four-day weeks with longer hours, and many have already implemented half-day Fridays.

Take the time to investigate which working structure works best for you. You may discover that a more balanced work week might benefit your company. Alternate working days can assist foster a good work life balance and improve your workers' physical health.

Promote Health Incentives

Prioritizing health is an important aspect of achieving a healthy work life balance. Extended work hours and long commutes might lead people to forego their health and fitness. Providing discounted gym memberships to a nearby fitness centre will encourage your employees to maintain their healthy lifestyles. You might also organise optional seminars or fund business sports teams at your office.

Physical health is one of the most important parts of an employee's personal life that might affect their performance at work. Overwork causes stress, which increases the risk of a number of health problems ranging from high blood pressure to strokes and substance dependence.

Encourage Holidays

According to UK legislation, full-time employees must get a minimum of 28 days of paid vacation every year, including public holidays. According to a recent Glassdoor poll, employees take only 62% of their holiday pay.

Employees are being denied holiday time due to a mix of workloads, expectations, and corporate illiteracy. As an employer, you should understand how much holiday time your employees are entitled to and how it signifies the importance of work life balance. But, you should encourage your employees to take it.
Vacations are vital for personal fulfilment, relaxation, and physical and mental wellness.

Whether your employees can fly off to the Bahamas or not, time off work is an important aspect of maintaining a healthy work life balance. It allows employees to refresh, reflect, and rejuvenate. According to studies, workers are more productive after taking a holiday.

Benefits to Employers of a Healthy Work Life Balance for Employees

Items that help employees also benefit firms. Workers who pay attention to the importance of  work life balance can eventually help your company become lucrative and successful. Additional advantages include:

  • Better staff retention
  • Increased productivity
  • More profitability
  • Higher employee engagement
  • Strong brand reputation
  • Increased Morale
  • Reduced Absenteeism

Reduced Employee Turnover

Employees who are happy remain. Work life balance is an important part of job happiness, thus encouraging employees to maintain a good work life balance can assist prevent staff turnover.
Excessive worker turnover is also detrimental to morale, interrupts projects, and makes it more difficult to complete tasks.

Staff turnover rates are important to potential new employees. They are frequently indicative of organisational culture and job happiness. By encouraging the importance of work life balance, you may make your company more appealing to potential new employees.

Improved Productivity of Employees

Giving employees flexible working hours does more than just make their lives simpler. Enabling workers to have flexible work schedules allows them to work when they are most productive.

Some people like the mornings, while others prefer the evenings. Some adults are more productive when they know their children are safe at school and can focus on their job. Employees that maintain and pay attention to the importance of work life balance are more productive, which means your company profits more.

Profitability

Other than being more productive, employees who maintain a healthy work life balance can provide additional financial benefits. Workers that are satisfied in body and mind use fewer sick days, have greater financial management, and can dedicate more to work.

Paying attention to the importance of work life balance helps employees to be more flexible, allowing them to capitalise on economic opportunities as they emerge. They are also more open to personal development and training, which allows you to possibly extend your business offering with new skills and abilities.

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is critical for every organisation, especially for those wanting to expand. You must make your employees happy and pleased so that they will support you and assist drive your firm ahead.

Engaged employees are also more reliable and trustworthy, providing you with the authority and peace of mind to delegate and know that tasks will be completed.

Reputation Build-Up & More Applicants

Finally, establishing a good work life balance in your company will make it a far more appealing place to work. Establish a reputation for taking care of your employees, and top talent will choose you over your competition.

84% of job searchers believe a company's reputation as an employer is significant.

People like to know they are cared for, and the more you demonstrate this, the better your business will be. People will tell others about their workplace if they are proud of it. As a result, they are real brand champions who will continue to improve your company's reputation in the marketplace.

Increased Morale

Employees are more inclined to put effort into their job when they have greater balance in their life. Passion for a career and the work that comes with it might fade if it causes them to spend less time with their family and have less downtime.

Reduced Absenteeism

"Work-related stress, sadness, or anxiety account for 44% of work-related ill health and 57% of working days missed," according to HSE figures.

Workers who have a strong work life balance are more likely to come to work with a cold rather than use it as an excuse to take the day off. Workers will be more committed to their jobs if other aspects of their life are in better harmony. If they are anxious, exhausted, and overworked, they will look for any excuse to stay at home and rest.

Benefits to Employees of a Good Work-Family Balance

Workers want to know how to establish a happy work-family balance. Set a good example and assist them in finding balance in their life. It will give them a variety of important advantages, including:

Better Time Management
Employees are able to maximise their performance and complete their assignments on time since they can report working when they are most productive. This will make them more productive, helping them to get more done in a day.
Members of the team will be able to organise their time and split it among different duties if they are given longer hours of work in exchange for three days off. This will also allow them to attend to personal concerns at home without abandoning work.
People have more possibilities with flexible work hours. Choices encourage people to better manage their time.

Autonomy and Personal Growth
Acknowledging the importance of work life balance promotes personal development. Enabling employees to set their own schedules and the days of the week on which they report for work empowers them to make decisions about their professional and personal lives.
This is advantageous to employees since it might help them to become more self-assured and forceful. This can assist them in maintaining a good mental attitude while striving to be more productive and successful.

Increased Focus
A healthy work life balance allows your workers to focus on their strengths. Your employees are able to focus on work because they are free of the burden of their personal lives, allowing them to feel the satisfaction of doing a good job and doing something with their workday.

Employee Engagement
Workers that have a healthy work life balance are more satisfied with their jobs. Contentment is the core of employee engagement. It motivates employees to support their company's brand, be proud of their job, and strive for more. Employee engagement is simple to manage; developing it is more difficult. A solid work ife balance, on the other hand, is a terrific place to start.

Personal Well Being
At the end of the day, skillfully integrating work and personal life will result in improved personal well-being. Everyone wishes to feel better, more settled, and in command of their lives. Because work is so important in so many people's lives, a healthy work life balance is essential to personal happiness.

Feeling More Valued
When a company provides flexible working hours, incentives, and perks, employees feel better cared for and hence more appreciated. It's easy to ignore the minor details, but if your employees believe you care about them as individuals, it will show in their performance and loyalty.
"79% of employees who left their employment mention a lack of appreciation as a primary factor for leaving," according to a study by OC Tanner.

Work Family Balance for Reduced Stress

Work can be stressful at the best of times. So, when it’s combined with the additional stress of things going on at home, it can interrupt and affect employees’ concentration, performance and more importantly, their mental health. By providing a better, healthy work life balance for employees, their stress levels are likely to lower. This helps them to manage their day-to-day better.
Balance means less stress. Less stress can reduce the risks of medical conditions and allows people to have healthier and happier lives.

Understanding the importance of work life balance is essential to both employers and employees because of the number of benefits it offers. This is why more employers are making use of best practices to achieve this much-needed balance for their employees.

A carefully balanced work life relationship requires a complementing workspace solution. As the demand for more flexible businesses grows, workspaces and commodities have become more complex. As people juggle working patterns and different ways of working, make sure your workspace follows the lead and is flexible enough to meet your needs. Get in touch with Office Hub today, where you can find anything from coworking space to a private office to an enterprise office in a snap!

Let us guide you

We know the search process for a new workspace can be overwhelming, that’s why our team are here to help through every step of the way.