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Tag: work-life balance

  • Work-life Balance is The Key to Corporate Survival in New Hybrid Work Culture

    Saransh Garg, CEO  & Co-Founder, Nova Benefits on revolutionizing employee wellness, and how employers can challenge stereotypes.

    In a hybrid era, perfecting work-life balance is key to corporate survival!!

    2021 has been a turbulent and testing time for organizations and employees alike, with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis hitting companies differently. The need of the hour is work-life balance, and it is crucial for organisations to understand employee pain points.

    Reports reveal a tectonic shift in the approach to employee wellness. There’s no doubt anymore that employee delight and overall company performance are closely interdependent and gravely impact work-life stability. Workforces, particularly those driven by Millennials and Gen Z, staunchly expect businesses to value their time, well-being, and intellectual fitness.

    There are several simple methods to support employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance – all you need is willingness! Let’s take a look:

    Keeping your ear to the ground: Providing counseling and physical health support to employees free of cost

    Both mental and physical health have been greatly impacted during the pandemic. Apart from offering employees the required support through counseling and health check-ups, it is important to create awareness on where employees can access these services. Employees should be encouraged to share how they are feeling, and feel safe to do so. It is important for organisations to listen and react. A central contact point should be created for employees, where they can expect quick responses to questions and concerns. Employers must also partner with online counseling services to help people with their mental health, and interpersonal relationships.

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    Inclusivity 24×7: Having an open-door policy, regular check-ins, and anonymous reviews within the workplace

    Clear and open communication channels are key to creating a healthy workplace environment, which uplifts employee morale. In traditional organizations, communication is a one-way stream that flows from top-down, making employees feel like they don’t have a voice. Engaging in open and honest conversations with employees can make them feel comfortable, and encourage them to address and speak about issues at work. There are simple ways to implement this using a feedback structure and regular reviews where everyone can present their opinion with the option of staying anonymous.

    Empathy always wins! Social and Community Outreach Programs

    Every organisation has several stakeholders who form a part of the larger community and workspace ecosystem. Building and maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with the community is what defines ‘Community Relations’. The start point for ‘Community Relations’ is to identify the needs and pain points of the community, and offer solutions to address the same. Community outreach programs like fundraising, setting up vaccination camps for employees and their families, offering tiffin or creche services may contribute to happier and satisfied employees, boost employee morale, and foster a sense of “community” that is critical to long-term success and employee retention.

    Fostering wellness: Digital partnerships for employee well-being

    Employee wellness initiatives are a much-needed component to create a good and healthy work culture. Wellness is a balance of both mental and physical well-being. To address the same, companies can look at organising group activities like online workout sessions or virtual marathons which will help in employee engagement and keeping staff motivated. To ensure mental wellness, it is a great idea for organisations to avail corporate memberships with wellness apps, which offer a full range of services.

    Be resourceful: Get your employees the mental, physical and structural resources they need

    During the first and second waves of the pandemic, isolation and burnout were reportedly two of the most popular employee issues discovered. Isolation was comprehensible, but ‘employee burnout’ posed brand new challenges, creating barriers in personal and professional lives.

    Mental health assistance, along with new methods to develop organizational frameworks for a post-pandemic future. For instance, it’s mandatory to take a two-day break once every 45 days at Nova Benefits – this ensures that employees are getting the rest they deserve. Organisations also need to identify what employees might need – infrastructure, flexibility, professional help to deal with stress, anxiety, burnout, or lack of sleep – in order to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, with limited resources in a WFH set up.

    At Nova Benefits, we offer an unlimited leave policy, which also includes wellness leaves. Employees can take time off for their physical and mental health, and are also encouraged to express if and when they are feeling burnt out.

    We also advise our employees to try and clock in seven to eight hours of sleep every day. Keeping the current WFH scenario in place, our team strives to keep the workforce healthy and active, while at home.

    Feedback is fab! Make wellness surveys and feedback regular routine

    A feedback review isn’t always only for managers to give personalized feedback; it’s also an opportunity to examine employers, workplace culture, and leadership. Timely surveys demonstrate to workers that employers care for them, in addition to enabling the employer to enhance and elevate successful well-being benefits in the future.

    Conclusion

    The above cultural and process-driven changes aren’t complex but must be prioritized to ensure an organization’s rapid growth. Companies who have their work culture right, can see higher financial returns and outperform their rivals. How else are “Best Places to work at” built?

  • Enhance Work-life Balance: A Guide for Employers by Divay Chadha, COO of Growup Group

    The Article is contributed By Divay Chadha, COO, Growup Group.

    The desire to achieve the perfect work-life balance is not new. But with the growth of remote working and flexible working hours, the lines between work and life are continuously blurring. So presently the need for a better work-life balance is more than ever.

    Undoubtedly, time management and work optimization by the employee plays a crucial role here. But what about the role of the employers? How can employers help their employees achieve a work-life balance? Surely 100% balance cannot be guaranteed. But with small changes in attitude towards work, it can be achieved to a great extent.

    Here we have listed down some ways in which employers can help achieve the much-needed work-life balance for their employees.

    Offer Flexible and Remote Working Hours
    Focus on Productivity rather than hours
    Review Workloads
    Increased Flexibility for Parents
    Trust your employees

    Offer Flexible and Remote Working Hours

    Employees prefer to choose how they are spending their time. So it comes as no surprise that the employee will perform better when the working hours suit his lifestyle and efficiency. Allowing the workers the work at hours as per their convenience will help them to achieve maximum productivity in a limited time. They can plan their day better, stay focused and get the work done much quicker.

    Focus on Productivity rather than hours

    There is no point in staring at the clock from morning till evening when the job can easily be done in a couple of hours. Instead of keeping a track of the number of hours the employee worked, focus if the tasks for the day were accomplished.

    Review Workloads

    Make sure you regularly review the work allocated to individual employees. Keep achievable targets to avoid burnout. It would be helpful if the employer is aware of the efficiency of each team so the distribution of work can be done accordingly. It’s also necessary to create a friendly work environment where the employee can speak up if they feel any kind of stress or work pressure.

    Increased Flexibility for Parents

    We all know how tedious your day can be when you have kids around. Parents need a better work-life balance more than anyone since they not only need time to relax but also time to cater to their kid’s needs. Corporates often end up losing talented employees because they cannot offer flexibility to the mothers. Help your employees split their time effectively between work and family so that your organization doesn’t suffer from the loss of skilled workers.

    Trust your employees

    Need to leave early? Make sure the targets for the day are achieved. Need to work from home? It’s played as long as the job is done efficiently.

    If you are offering your employees the flexibility for time or space for their job, it’s become indispensable to trust your employees. You won’t be able to keep a check on your employees the entire time, which makes the role of trust even more important.

    People are the most valuable asset of any organization. Offering them a better work-life balance will lead to happier and more productive employees, ultimately benefiting your company’s productivity. Besides, it helps improve your company’s image, attracting a pool of talented workforce.

  • Different Ways to Offer a Perfect Work-life Balance to Your Employees

    The Article is contributed By Sanchit Malik, Co-founder & CEO of Paz care

    We’ve often hear people complain about how it is so hard to maintain a proper work life balance while they work. Many times, it becomes impossible to take out time for ourselves because there are deadlines to meet. For some people, work ends in the evening and they get to utilize their time however they want. But for some people, their work takes up almost their whole day and sometimes eats up their weekends too! This practice of dragging and pushing the boundaries between personal and professional life should be abandoned. To maintain one’s sanity and to promote a healthy lifestyle, work and personal life shouldn’t be mixed but should always be parallel.

    Ways to Offer a Perfect Work-life Balance

    Healthy Lifestyle
    Enhancing Employee Skillset
    Flexible Working Hours
    Time Management
    Proper Communication
    Conclusion

    Healthy Lifestyle

    Often the employers are indirectly at fault for the unhealthy lifestyle and shrinking work-life balance of employees. It can significantly be reduced if everybody starts giving more importance to their health and personal well being. It works both ways as the employer and the employee, both need to focus on their physical and mental health. Work-life balance helps not only the employees but also their respective families as it brings with it a scope of personal growth and development too. There should be a very prominent boundary to achieve the same.

    Employers play a crucial role in promoting a healthy balance and lifestyle choices of their employees. Some approaches towards taking care of the employees should be taken into consideration and acted upon. Modelling boundaries between work and home is essential so that the employees do not feel obligated to be available in the after hours. Inculcating the habit of spending quality time with family or pursuing a hobby should be encouraged. Additionally, employers should promote or devise strategies to bring in creative activities. They could partner with a company to provide creative workshops or classes for their employees. This will keep the staff engaged and occupied with something other than their deadlines!

    It is not humanly possible to know each and everything about the employees and their needs, so the employers can start by taking an anonymous survey to help understand their work force better. It could be held quarterly or after every six months to ensure the policies are operational and feasible. Because of changing requirements of people, it becomes important to ensure that the purpose is being fulfilled. In this case, ensuring that the work-life balance is not compromised upon. It will not only help the employees open up but also let them know that they are being heard at work. Employers could either give a day off / half day, or give an option to take leaves, with no questions asked, for the betterment of employee mental health.

    Enhancing Employee Skillset

    Another step that the employers can take is to focus on enhancing their employees’ skill set. Upskilling is an integral part of an organization as it helps the employees in enhancing their quality of work. This will additionally benefit the organization too. A better quality of work will result in improved efficiency as well.

    Flexible Working Hours

    Flexible time is a need of the hour because of the pandemic. Hybrid working conditions have enabled the new thought process to take shape. Flexible working models have come into play which has made people realise that they can very easily and efficiently work from the comfort of their homes. Employers have made the best use of this situation by taking care of the basic needs of their employees while they work remotely. The employees in turn are also aware that since their working hours have been reduced, their productivity rates should increase. Team managers should work on their tolerance levels as well. Because of COVID-19, a number of people are not able to meet certain deadlines and their productivity levels could also drop, the managers come into play here. They need to empathise and adjust according to their employees’ needs, without making them feel as a liability.

    Time Management

    Time management, as a skill, should be promoted not only at lower levels of a company but on the higher front too. Employers should always lead by example. Managing their own schedules efficiently and making time for themselves and their families should be prioritised. Along with that, keeping a separate day on a monthly basis for unofficial office gatherings could work wonders for employee engagement. The employers and employees could get together for lunch. It will create a friendly atmosphere between employees and help reach each other, barring the hierarchical boundaries.

    Proper Communication

    Communication is one thing which could become a hassle if not done properly. There should be easy communication between managers and employees. A slight disruption in communication could pose a bigger challenge for the workers. Employees should inculcate proper mediums for free flow of information about tasks at hand. Knowing about the deadlines and adhering to them should be encouraged by all employees and employers alike. Employers should be able to promote a good work-life balance through effective and healthy communication. An onsite counsellor or in case of hybrid teams, access to a counsellor could also be a step in the right direction.

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    Conclusion

    The pandemic has taught us to make the best use out of every situation. Similarly, approaching work should be done sincerely and not be transferred as a burden to people. The employees should not feel overwhelmed by the amount of work they have, but rather they should enjoy their work. A happy work culture should be promoted by the employers. Further, it will result in better employee retention.

  • Different Ways to Offer a Perfect Work-life Balance to Your Employees

    The Article is contributed By Marut Bharadwaj, Country Head, Potential Project

    As a general rule, we strive to maintain a certain degree of balance in our lives. Workplaces, too, are no exception. But the world is changing, people are more involved, and obtaining the ideal work-life balance feels like a pipe dream.

    The glaring need of work-life balance
    Why is work-life balance so difficult to attain?
    Maintaining a work-life balance is not an illusion

    The glaring need of work-life balance

    According to LinkedIn’s “Future of Employment” Study 2021 of 1,108 people aged 16 to 68, a third of Indian professionals are stressed and overworked as a result of working remotely. This has shifted focus to individual well-being and pushed many professionals to strive to achieve the correct balance of life and career. In fact, one in every two Indian employees, or 52 percent to be precise, now feels that work-life balance is just as essential as their pay, according to the same Linkedin study.

    As employees rearrange their priorities and become more and more willing to explore their options regardless of the risk, one result of this introspection has been “The Great Resignation”.

    In light of the changing dynamics of employees’ professional and personal priorities and the impact they have on outcomes, organisations need to reconsider their top-to-bottom work patterns, as well as their culture and values, and themselves instigate a change in the nature of the workplace.

    Why is work-life balance so difficult to attain?

    A work-life balance is becoming increasingly difficult as technology advances. Everyone is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the fear of losing opportunities, acknowledgements, and in many cases, even the job itself, pushes employees to work long hours.

    We tend to conceive of work-life balance as a trade-off between the amount of time we spend at work and the amount of time we spend on non-work pursuits. In a perfect world, we would be able to nourish ourselves as individuals after work, whether it was through spending time with friends, family, or participating in a hobby, as well as climb our professional peak within the limits of out predetermined work hours.

    It’s not difficult to convey the concept of “balance,” but what does it truly entail? When the walls between work and home become thinner than paper, how do you know what works? Taking care of oneself begins to seem like an unnecessary extravagance when one’s very livelihood is at stake. But it should not. A lack of work-life balance not only harms your mental health, but it also hurts your company’s bottom line and job satisfaction.

    Maintaining a work-life balance is not an illusion

    As employees increasingly look for a better work-life balance and a higher sense of fulfilment, leaders must take on the responsibility of helping their employees find what they need. For instance, leaders must look into offering their employees more flexible benefits and time to focus on their mental health.

    While employers alone cannot guarantee a perfect work-life balance for their employees, there are several ways in which they can assist individuals in finding and maintaining a balance that works best for them:

    Prioritise output over hours worked

    Leaders should focus their energies and attention on the end result rather than the hours worked by each employee, and urge management to do the same. Some days, employees may have to work long hours to finish a task, but this should be countered by the days when they do not have to work an eight-hour day.

    Focusing on outcome-based metrics once teams and people have a clear understanding of their responsibilities in terms of achieving outcomes will result in higher productivity with better performance. Netflix, for example, has no restrictions on paid time off or on the amount of “face time” that employees must spend in the office. It assesses productivity by outcomes, not inputs, and is flourishing on that principle.

    Encourage taking breaks

    Workplace breaks are necessary for keeping healthy, happy, creative, and focused. Many employees, however, do not take breaks during the day, and others even skip meals. It is enticing to cram as much work into a short period of time as possible if you are able to get out of the office early, after all.

    However, the brain needs rest on a regular basis. Employee performance declines when employees keep at a task for an extended period of time. In one study, the Draugiem Group, a Latvian conglomerate, observed that the most productive employees took the most breaks when they measured their time and productivity. High achievers took an average of 17 minutes off for every 52 minutes they worked.

    So, employers should encourage employees to take regular breaks, go for a stroll, or even work in a different section of the workplace to stay fresh and stress-free.

    Re-evaluate workloads from time to time

    While allocating tasks, leaders may end up assuming an unrealistic deadline for tasks that can take a single person even a whole day to do.

    It is possible to better divide work among your team through the use of workload management, which not only reduces burnout among your staff but also keeps them from being overwhelmed in the first place.

    Leaders who communicate with their staff on a regular basis will be aware of who is overworked and stressed, as well as who has spare capacity. Re-evaluating each individual worker’s workload, they can assign tasks mindfully to ensure that everyone has a manageable amount of work to do.

    Acknowledge the unique needs of every employee

    An improved work-life balance is something that many of your workers may be striving toward. While some may be content with the amount of time they devote to their jobs within the work hours, others may be willing to work more to finish the task at hand in one go. They may not mind working long hours if it means they can relax when they get home.

    The best organizations recognise that each employee is unique, and develop work environments that can be tailored to each individual. There is no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” solution in business, even in the context of employees. An individual, customisable strategy is, therefore, a leader’s best bet.

    Leading Mindfully

    Mindfulness makes it difficult to disregard any imbalance. Mindfulness practises like meditation and breath awareness helps employees become more aware of their feelings and physical experiences. When they pay attention to their feelings, employees can learn to recognise when they might be denying themselves something necessary in order to succeed at work.

    Conclusion

    For leaders, this awareness is a treasure chest for leading employees towards a self-led work-life balance that is as likely to benefit the organization as their own selves. After all, change only changes when it is driven from within. And attaining a work-life balance is a cycle whose wheels really lie in the employees’ hands.

  • 5 Secret Rules To Stay Active After Work Hours For Work-Life Balance

    Tips to Stay Active After Work Hours

    Life is too short and you have so much talent to showcase towards your work. It’s very difficult to explore everything in the short period of time, but you only get one life to live and make your dreams come true, so don’t waste even one second of your precious time and start planning your life from now on. However, after working tiringly all day at the workplace and earning money to be independent, you don’t spend quality time with your family or have the energy to do any personal work. This is the biggest hurdle in your life and people are scumming to their fate, they want to follow their dreams, but they also need to stay active after work hours. This is the question that pops into our mind, after realizing that you don’t have much time left to fulfill our dreams.

    The solution to the above problem is to have a routine management in your life. Before starting your day, you could make a To Do List, set up priorities to work on to manage time more specifically towards a particular job. This would give out some quality time to achieve unattended dreams easily. Furthermore, to maintain a great routine some tips and tactics are enumerated below to manage 24 hours of the day into a productive routine and to take full advantage of your time. The simple five rules to make your life productive after hard working day are:

    Rule #1. Make most of your time in all day

    “Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.”
    —Thomas Edison, inventor

    After waking up in the morning you don’t feel to have time in hand, but in reality, you always have plenty of free time in a day. The problem which the majority faces is they don’t schedule themselves according to time and priorities which thus turns the clock other way around for them. You need to identify the window of free time and categorize it to take out your full potential towards the best result you can produce. If you start noticing every day you are investing some time to commute to your workplace although you also get some sneak-out break at afternoon and evening for lunch & snacks respectively. However, now the point comes how to utilize the commute & break time to be active after work and enjoy time with your loved ones. So, let’s chalk out a blueprint to take one step closer towards our happy living.

    • It’s best to select a podcast of your choice and learn something new while commuting or in the free time.
    • Listening to new things will energize your brain and reflect more productivity.
    • Reading will soothe your mind and soul. The audiobooks are best as they allow to close your eyes and relax.
    • Walking for a few minutes will do wonder for you. A yoga class or quick burst of exercise is a good method to calm your spinning head.
    • If you wish to doodle then use this break to dwell into your soul and doodle something that connects with your thought.

    Rule #2. Make a to-do list

    The person needs to draft his life in advance to set the goals straight and clear. It’s difficult to plan every aspect of life, but it’s important to draw an outlook on life and live it accordingly to achieve goals. Start focusing on small things which could change your way of living a struggling routine, such as

    • Early to bed and early to rising gives you a noble life. It’s not a myth, it has been proven by some most successful entrepreneurs of all time. This would help you to do brainstorming and create new ideas for further success.
    • Eat a healthy diet, try to include fruits and salads in your daily food items.
    • A 30 minutes Meditation would be a great practice to dwell on your thoughts and to relax your mind.
    • Lay down the daily routine in a paper or mobile and during the day tick on the points which you have achieved. This helps in self-evaluating the activities.

    Also Read: List Of The Best Calendar Apps to Stay Organized in 2020

    Rule #3. Coming to home, Let’s make a plan

    Yes, make a plan to initiate a fruitful conversation with your loved ones. It seems hard to converse after a tiring day, but it’s important to talk which shows how eagerly you love your family. Let us shorten the process for you

    • Take a break for a few minutes and don’t jump to another task immediately. Roam around a little bit and relax for at least half an hour.
    • Do some caring work like helping to cook or plan to watch a quick short film to relax your mind.
    • Listen to some light music and take a long nourishing bath to release tiredness.
    • Rule out your plan and take steps to achieve it. If you have a goal to write a book then pen down at least 2000 words daily and follow your rule very strictly.

    Rule #4. Make a weekend getaway plan

    No play, only work will, in turn, a jack into a dull boy, so to recharge the energy and to bring freshness in it, you need to take a well deserving break from your routine. Taking a break will energies you and new thoughts will come into your mind. It’s good to spend some time in a new environment and mingling with friends and family which will give you mental satisfaction and happiness. So take a break and change your scenery. Visit some new place and embrace some holiday spirit in yourself. Treat yourself and spoil yourself little will improve the mental health.

    Read Also: How to Boost Productivity- Make Every Minute Count With These Hacks

    Rule #5. Take some time to dwell on your thoughts

    It’s very important to do some soul searching from time to time. Take some steps to understand your inner self and evaluate the performance on your own. No one knows you better than yourself to evaluate the strong and weak points of your life, so it’s important to have time to time soul search for yourself. You can use numerous tools to search your inner feelings, such as:

    • Yoga and meditation help to attain a clear mind.
    • Walk in the park will embrace your health towards positivity.
    • Some alone time away from all.
    • Long drive to a peaceful destination will give you lots of free time to think.

    Read Also:Inspiring Quotes of Indian Entrepreneurs

    Call to Action time, Try these few techniques to stay productive in your free time and get your dreams to come true. Embedding the following rules in your life will make you feel positive and self-motivated towards your life. It’s very important to stay fertile all your life, as only dead are infertile. Time to make some changes to achieve new height.