The phrase “work/life balance” has been buzzing around corporate environments for many years now and still managers and employees alike are having a hard time determining what that really means within the context of their business environment. The key to unlocking the work/life balance mystery seems to be the employees themselves. Management can make determinations about working schedules and requirements but it seems that when the employees have control over their own work/life balance customizations, the real work gets done. Here are some things to consider to broaden the boundaries and encouraging more productivity from your staff.

• Work/life balance is a continuum. Everyone you work with will have their own needs when it comes to work and home life. Trying to shoehorn all of your employees into the same mold will backfire quickly. There is a continuum and to ignore it actually sets you up for failure. Instead, embrace it and determine what works best for each individual.
• Work with their strengths. For example, one of your best employees might be the elusive morning person. Night people don’t believe they exist, but they do. From 8am to just after lunch they are super productive but in the afternoon, they start to slow down and have trouble focusing. This isn’t a personality flaw that needs to be corrected. It is a trait that needs to be enabled. Encourage them to work in their own schedules.
• Manage your time effectively. It is important that managers lead by example. While you might be the kind of manager who loves to work on the weekends, you also need to respect that your regular employees may not. When you send a flurry of emails on Saturday morning you’re more likely to send your team into panic mode than help them be more productive. Save your emails based on the time you really need a response.
• Offer flexibility in exchange for loyalty. Flexible schedules and results oriented workplaces are really seeing an upswing in popularity. The idea is that an employee doesn’t need to be tied to one location from 8am to 5pm. As long as the work is done on time and well, the employee can have an opportunity to develop their own schedule.

Do you see challenges in your workplace when it comes to your employees’ work/life balance? The employment experts at VincentBenjamin can help so call today!