The Benefits of Promoting a Strong Work-Life Balance
As an employer, you have a certain stake in which way the proverbial work/life balance tips. You’re aggressively focused on Team Work. That’s a given; it’s just part of the process.
Still, even with your built-in preference, you shouldn’t try to monopolize all your employees’ time and attention. There’s an operational benefit to letting Team Life win a couple of rounds. Balance really does mean balance. And it’s not just an exercise in kindness. Your business will reap dividends as well.
With that in mind, here are the benefits you can receive from promoting a strong work/life balance among your employees:
Improved Morale
It’s possible to unite your team around a goal. Working long hours to overcome a challenge or to achieve a deadline can promote togetherness. However, force the same devotion on an ongoing basis, without a clear, achievable objective, and you will foster frustration and discontent.
In other words, you have to know when to hit the gas and when to back off and let things cruise. If needed, you can ramp your team up to overdrive to accomplish a near-term goal. But interspace these sprints with times of calm and relative tranquility. This will promote long-term morale and team spirit.
Enhanced Productivity
It might seem like a simple equation: doing more work equals getting more done. However, there is a limit. Overburdening your employees can actually cut into productivity. Studies show that happier employees (like ones with good work/life balance) work 21% harder.
Making sure your team members have the opportunity to lead rich lives outside of work sets the stage for better motivation. This, in turn, helps boost productivity. Meanwhile, a rested workforce is less likely to make mistakes and less likely to run down over time.
Better Retention
Forcing your employees to endure 60-hour weeks can boost near-term production. However, it comes at a cost. Those frazzled workers are constantly looking toward the door. In effect, you’re incentivizing them to search for another employer, one who won’t demand the same long hours.
By easing up on the near-term demands, you make things better in the long term. Your employees will be happier, leading to higher retention rates for you. This allows you to save money on recruiting and avoid the disruption that comes with replacing a departing employee.
More Innovation
You can grind out production. Innovation takes something else. To come up with new ideas, your team needs to operate with clear heads. They need plenty of sleep, high spirits, and room to let their imaginations wander.
This represents a side benefit of a good work/life balance. Because they aren’t overburdened in their day-to-day activities, employees enjoy additional space to develop higher-level ideas.
Improved Employer Brand
In the modern economy, you don’t just have to worry about PR problems related to consumers. You also have to watch your reputation with potential employees. Sites like Glassdoor make employer brands critical to building a stellar team.
A strong work/life balance plays into this dynamic. Giving your employees a better overall experience encourages them to speak highly about you on review sites. Better ratings lead to better job candidates down the road.
Getting the most out of your team requires a balanced approach. It would be best if you also found the right workers to begin with. By teaming with a strong recruiting partner, like SmartTalent, you ensure that you have the right people in place to reach your highest potential.
Contact SmartTalent today to find out more.
