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If
you want to keep your staff motivated, it’s important to help
them strike the right balance between their work and home life.
What is meant by work-life balance?
The idea that workers need to maintain a
healthy balance between their life inside the workplace and their
life outside has become widely accepted in the last few years.
Basically, it means making sure you work to
live rather than live to work.
The issue is particularly important in the
hospitality industry where long, unsociable hours can severely
affect an employee’s satisfaction with their job.
For senior managers a “work-life balance”
probably means having more time to pursue leisure activities and
relax.
For parents of young children it probably
means having more time with the family and to sort out domestic
chores.
For the boss, or the manager, it’s an
important consideration if you want to get the most out of your
staff. The happier they are in their work, the better and harder
they will work, and the ensuing benefits should increase their
loyalty to the company.
How can you help your staff achieve
this balance?
Employers, particularly the big household
names, are becoming aware of the need for flexibility in the
workplace and, in some cases, are starting to offer benefits such
as better maternity leave and paternity arrangements, career
breaks and job-sharing.
If you work for a large company you should be
aware of its policies in these areas and how they apply to the
staff directly under your control. If it’s appropriate, make
sure your staff know these policies too and make it clear that you
are happy to apply them.
What are the main changes you can
make?
There are several methods which are becoming
increasingly common in the workplace. The theme running through
all of them is flexibility.
Job sharing: For example,
rather than having one person working from 9-5, one works from 9-1
and the other from 1-5. Two happy people working hard is better
than one miserable one.
The only disadvantages are that you will have
to provide extra administration, training, etc.
If you’re considering a job share for one
of your employees, you need to think about a few practical points:
·
Consider the components of the job, how easy would
it be to share?
·
How compatible are the staff who will share? Are
their abilities similar, do they complement each other’s
strengths and weaknesses?
·
Communication and continuity are the priorities.
Flexibility: Letting staff
work where and when they want is perhaps a bit extreme, but giving
them the chance to work from home every now and again when
practical, or to work flexible hours is always useful. Parents
especially will appreciate the chance to change their hours when
they can.
There can be benefits in this for the
employer as well:
·
The employee’s concentration and work rate is
likely to increase if they are away from a distracting or
stressful workplace occasionally
·
They can put in more hours if they’re not
commuting
·
Probably most importantly, flexible employment
policies lead to higher staff retention. According to the
Institute for Employment Studies, small businesses save up to $475,000
a year through flexible working policies. Remember how expensive
the recruitment process is.
Career breaks: Some large
corporations have set policies about career breaks, so check with
your human resources department if appropriate. If there’s no
official policy and it up to your discretion there are pros and
cons to consider.
Career breaks can work for the employer as
well as for the employee. Taking time out from a job can mean new
ideas, a new approach and new experiences when they return.
But people returning from a lengthy career
break may lose touch with their job skills, or be out of touch
with the current scene. It might be worth considering asking them
to return at regular intervals to maintain contact and re-appraise
their skills.
Downshifting: This is a
personal decision that needs to be made by the member of staff.
Essentially it means asking yourself whether climbing up the
corporate ladder is you, and whether you’d be happier earning
less money, but having more time to spend with family etc. While
this is a personal thing, it’s up to managers to spot when an
employee is feeling unhappy and present this to them as an option,
and assure them that if they want to downshift you will try your
best to accommodate them.
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