Creating a Good Work-Life Balance for your Employees
Matt Archer
November 17, 2020
Balance is essential
In the current times, many companies’ workforces have been partially or completely migrated to a work-from-home environment. Employees now have access to work technology in the cloud 24/7 and must juggle the responsibilities of their jobs with the added challenges of home life, including, but not limited to, taking care of children or other dependents, managing household duties and staying focused on tasks without the benefit of being in a different physical location. Working from home can blur the line between work and personal life. It’s more important than ever to help your employees find and maintain a work-life balance as they adjust to working virtually, often from home. Employers need to recognize that their company should not only allow for employees to step away from work when needed, but encourage it.
Burnout is a real potential
Some workplaces have started overloading employees with extra work because they no longer need to commute to an office, but with the added stresses of managing home life and additional work, along with all the other challenges of Covid-19, it’s started leading to employee burnout.
It’s important for companies to set clear expectations of employees and stay connected with their employees to be able to help them during these times. Be Flexible with your employees and allow them to take a respite if needed, to keep them from burning out and negatively affecting their life, their work and the company.
How to keep employees focused and happy
Not all employees have been able to quickly adapt to the remote work environment. Some may be unsure or unable to do what is expected of them. It is important that your workplace sets guidelines for remote work, letting employees know when they are expected to be working and also giving them an avenue to inform management on their progress for different items they are working on.
According to Zoho, a leading provider of cloud-based applications such as CRM and Help Desk, it’s important to “express your expectations clearly and assign work to employees well in advance.”[1] They also recommend to “train your managers in remote workforce management, and encourage them to listen to employee concerns and feedback.”[2]
When it comes to managers or executives at the company, Zoho also recommends to “practice work-life balance yourself by not staying online after working hours and taking advantage of time off,”[3] as well as “be[ing] a little more flexible towards employee needs and focus on the work an employee does rather than the time they spend doing it.”[4]
This strategy extends to the tools your employees use to accomplish their jobs. Providing the right tools and training to allow your workforce be able to work effectively will decrease stress and the likelihood of burnout. These tools can also help to stay in communication with employees, so if they do have concerns or need to change their routine to accommodate these new circumstances, then everyone stays in the loop.
Positive Results can assist with work-life balance
At Positive Results, we have partnered with companies like Zoho to help our clients to meet and exceed expectations, even in this ever-shifting business environment. We work with our clients to understand their unique business processes and help them integrate those processes into the customized cloud-based business solutions that make the most sense for them. Additionally, we provide training to assist them in adopting and best utilizing those solutions to meet the goals of the organization.
The area of work-life balance is no different. We assist companies with best practices for remote work and teach businesses how they can optimally use technology to work in tandem with the flexibility of working from home. We implement cloud solutions like RingCentral and Zoho, which can be accessed anywhere but still allow for continued communication on your day to day business tasks.
Final Words
We are living in an exciting time right now where technology has allowed us to save money on commuting, be home with our families more often, and accomplish goals in more efficient ways. In this evolving business landscape, there is a fine line between companies pushing employees too hard and being too laissez faire in their management of employees, leading to potential decreases in efficiency and productivity.
Positive Results works with clients to understand their business processes, and partners with companies like Zoho to help implement the best solutions to meet the needs of those processes. With more work being done virtually, it’s important that you and your workforce be on the same page about expectations around work-life balance.
If you want to learn more about best practices on to improve your company’s work-life balance policies and/or better manage your cloud-based solutions to accomplish the same, contact us at:
Positive Results™ Custom Business Solutions
440.499.4944
[1] https://www.zoho.com/blog/people/tips-to-improve-work-life-balance-for-remote-employees.html
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
