5 ways to promote work-life balance as an organisation

Flexibility and work-life balance are two of the most important factors to job-seekers and employees in today’s market. Creating a culture of work-life balance can make your team happier, healthier, and more productive — it’s truly a win-win! Here are five ways you can encourage work-life balance within your organisation:

1. Offer flexible work arrangements if possible. Flexibility is essential to creating work-life balance. If it’s appropriate for your sector and workplace, consider offering flexible hours, remote or hybrid work options, or compressed workweeks to allow your employees to manage their personal and professional lives more effectively. Flexible work arrangements may not be realistic in all industries or for all roles, but it’s worth assessing if there is any possible way you could give your employees more flexibility in their days.
2. Encourage team members to take breaks and time off. Check in with your team members periodically to ensure they’re taking their paid vacation days and won’t be left with unused days at the end of the year. Encourage employees to take regular breaks during the day, use all of their paid days off, and fully disconnect during vacations, on weekends, and on statutory holidays. This also means avoiding contacting your employees during their breaks and time off — emails and messages can wait until they’re back on company time.
3. Make sure company leadership leads by example. Managers and people leaders within your organisation should model good work-life balance by taking their own breaks and time off and setting appropriate personal boundaries — this sets a good example for the rest of the team. Leaders should also avoid sending emails outside business hours or when they’re taking their own time off.
4. Set clear boundaries regarding business hours and after-hours communication. It’s important that your team understands what hours they are expected to be online or at work, whether you follow a more flexible model with mandatory “core hours” or a standard 9-5 schedule. Encourage your employees not to check their emails or take work calls outside of their working hours, unless it's an emergency.
5. Plan team-building events during working hours. While team-building activities and social events can help reduce stress and strengthen team relationships, it’s important to ensure that they don't interfere with employees’ personal time. If you’re planning a team event, make sure it’s scheduled during business hours and doesn’t add more to your team’s plate. If there’s a company activity that has to take place outside working hours, such as in the evening, consider allowing employees to leave work early so they still get enough personal time that day.

Promoting work-life balance is just one way to support your team’s wellbeing. If your organisation has a group health insurance plan with Allshores, look out for our monthly wellness newsletters for more ways to promote wellness among your employees, including wellness challenges, educational programmes, and healthy habits programmes focused on topics like nutrition, stress management, and physical activity. We’re your partner in workplace wellness, and we’re here to help.