Creating A Work/Life Balance: For You, Your Workers and Your Workplace

Are We Unafraid of Change?

Imagine a game of golf before work, a lunch break at the beach, or visiting your child’s school on a Friday afternoon. The work-life balance movement is gathering momentum and is changing the way we work. We know the buzzwords, but what is work-life balance really? What does it mean for your career and how can it benefit a business?

Now imagine a workplace filled with peak performers – people who enjoy their work, communicate effectively, achieve outstanding results and go the extra mile for their employer. This is the kind of workplace companies desire to create. And some companies are realising that through their employees having a healthy work-life balance, this kind of workplace can be achieved.

Work-life balance is a long overdue recognition that employees come with families, responsibilities, interests and personal goals. As the Australian working week has become longer and the pressures on staff higher, savvy employers are realising that exhausted, stressed workers are not as productive as those who are supported and given some flexibility in the workplace.

It’s a challenge to change a "long hours" culture where employees are judged on how many hours they work and their presence in the office, rather than agreed performance indicators. It can be done if we are unafraid of change.

Is the work-life balance movement another management fad, or the latest craze to hit the seminar scene? Not if we look at the changing demographics of the working population. The number of traditional single income households with dependents is falling, while the number of dual income households is growing. More and more households are juggling work with bringing up children. These days you are more likely to see the Marketing Manager late for a morning meeting because he has a commitment to drop his daughter at school, rather than seeing him on his fifth business call at 8am.

As Australia 's population ages, more employees will be looking to scale down their work practices and achieve a balance to their life. More employees may need flexibility to look after their aging parents. The commitment of caring for our aging population will impact Australian businesses within the coming decades.

It’s Not About a Long Weekend

Work-life balance is not just about a long weekend. It’s about providing some flexibility as to how and where work is done so that people can also have lives outside work. A worker’s requirements vary depending on where they are in their life cycle. The needs of a single person will vary from those of a new parent, and again from those in their 40s.

There are many creative ways in which employers can respond to the requirements of their employees. There are endless combinations of mutual benefits if employers are open to imagination and change. Here’s a few ideas:

· Working from home. Rather than commuting into an office every day, more employees now have the opportunity to work from a home office either full-time or casually. Some employers provide a computer, or pay for phone calls and internet connection. This appeals to workers with a beach house and those with dependents. For self-motivated employees, today’s technology makes this option more viable. This option works best if agreed performance indicators are met such as a specific project or work to be done by a particular deadline. This way employers can assess how this option is working. Employers need to have the technology to communicate effectively with their remote staff. It works best for employees who are motivated enough to avoid unexpected visitors, the chaos of their children, or extended lunch with Oprah.

· Flexible work agreements. While employees are expected to work a certain number of hours, many companies offer flexibility in when these hours are worked. For example, a parent may work from 7.30am until 3.00pm. A musician may compress a working week into four long days so his Fridays are free to travel to performances.

· Flexible leave. Rather than taking holidays in traditional week blocks, employees are now taking leave when they need it. Mysteries, emergencies and situations are a part of life. Employees may need a day to deal with a domestic crisis, a car problem, or a sick child. Flexible leave over school holidays or one day at a time makes sense. Some offices provide “doona days” for workers who are stressed and tired as opposed to being medically sick. Workplaces are popular where people have the opportunity to "buy" more leave by reducing their salary over the whole year.

· Job share. An arrangement where two people share a job as though they were one person is popular in many industries. This provides better opportunities for people who want to work part time, especially in customer service industries where a full-time presence is required.

· Assisting with childcare. This ranges from flexible hours to providing on-site care facilities. Some companies provide a breastfeeding room and allow short breaks throughout the day for new mothers.

· Study leave. An employee being supported in their study objectives is a wonderful benefit to both parties. This can range from paying for some or all of a course, to giving time off to study.

· An enjoyable work environment. Many employees complain they spend more time with their co-workers than their family. Simple ideas can be implemented to change workers’ perception of their work by making their daily environment more enjoyable. Here’s a few ideas:

1. Post baby pictures - "who's who?"
2. Have a noticeboard for cartoons
3. Plan a surprise picnic
4. Guardian angel/ secret friend / Kris Kringal
5. Organise a monthly outing
6. Rituals for birthdays, special occasions, new staff day
7. Do unexpected things (eg bring scones in for morning tea)
8. Unusual dress days
9. Create a stress free zone (a room or an area or a timeframe)
10. Give anonymous & unexpected appreciation
11. Brighten up your work space - photos, cartoons, paintings, flowers, souvenirs
12. Post a cartoon or pithy saying on the hot water urn each week
13. Take & display photos of people at work
14. Arrange an ugly shoe / hat / tie competition
15. Organise a paper plane flying contest
16. Play childhood games (the Hokey Pokey?)
17. Have a daggy music day (eg a staff member brings in the first album they ever bought)
18. Run a staff newsletter with recipes and stories

19. Good websites: Joke-Of-The-Day.com, laughtertherapy.com, teehee.com

· Many organisations now provide provisions for flowers, indoor plants, family photos, mood music, hanging wall art, fresh juices and a cappuccino machine. A business can make a difference by offering gym memberships, access to counselling, relaxation classes, quit smoking programs, weight-loss clubs, and time management training. More workplaces are scheduling meetings within work hours, and are flexible about personal calls. A satisfied employee is a motivated worker and in most cases won’t take advantage.

For Employers

In my presentations, employers often complain that a work-life balance is not easy to apply. They argue that extra leave and flexible hours can incur higher costs. It’s true that some people do not work well from home and may take advantage of flexible work practices. Employers worry about clients who want things done now. Clients who may not be understanding when their contact person has vanished at 3pm. What if the other employees resent picking up work for employees who are not in the office?

Check out our website at www.inspiredhoney.com and you’ll read how research has shown a definite link between employee attitude & behaviour - and the financial success of a business. As an employer it’s about being open to the possibility of change and be willing to be flexible. You can always try change on a trial basis. As long as you give it an honest go. When detailing changes, provide boundaries for all employees so their expectations are the same as the organisations’. Set goals and strategies to measure the effectiveness of changes.

What if it’s your workplace you’re hoping to change but the boss is not so keen?

Point out that a flexible work environment provides both employers and employees with convincing advantages, which far outweigh any negatives. For the boss, improved employee health and staff retention means reduced absenteeism and quality staff. Higher morale and increased motivation results in better workplace cooperation and less stress. All these benefits lead to higher productivity for the company. More bonuses for the boss!

For employees, the benefits include less stress, better health, greater job satisfaction, improved personal relationships, and the motivation to achieve outstanding results.

Creative employers who are open to change are the businesses workers are flocking to. These companies are already finding they have their pick of the high-quality employees. Such changes will take time. The attitudes people have towards hours worked vs working smarter are still sinking in for many of us.

Sharp employers know that life is not just about work. A healthy balance between work, family and leisure benefits everyone. Research has shown a definite link between employee attitude and behaviour, and the financial success of a business. Employers may find they can't afford not to be adaptable.

Take Care of Yourself-
So You Can Take Care of Your World

· Draw pictures. Get into art
· Play games or sports. Get active
· Write poetry
· Listen to raucous music and dance in front of your pets or stuffed toys
· Snack on healthy foods. Take vitamins
· Enjoy a bubble bath
· Care for your pets & house plants
· Take a favourite stuffed toy to bed with you
· Turn off the TV and go to bed earlier
· Treat yourself to a massage
· Collect a favour from someone who owes you
· Rent a hilarious video and laugh a lot
· Ask someone who loves you to read you a story
· Hug someone every day

Now it’s up to you!
I hope you’ve learned something from this special report. But more importantly, I’d like it to spur you into action – because, of course, what matters is not knowledge itself, but applied knowledge.

It’s likely I’ve convinced you of some new ideas and strategies you haven’t thought of before. It’s also likely you may have already heard of some of the ideas here. But the real challenge is in separating yourself from the crowd who moans, “I already know it.” Or “yes, I’ve heard that before.” You should always add to yourself, “I may know it, but am I really doing it?”

Distribute this freely to anybody you like, as long as you distribute it in its entirety, don’t change it in any way, and don’t charge money for it. The more people who know about this, the better!

If you read this and do nothing, that’s just as bad as not reading it at all. In fact, it’s worse, because you’ve wasted your time! So please take action, and start now.

Article Source: http://www.therepozitory.com.au

Natasha Crestani is an award winning speaker, presenter & therapist in peak performance for business and life. Her company Inspired Honey, was set up with psychologist Jason Crestani to provide innovative solutions for working parents and business to skyrocket people performance. Manage your time, stress and life goals with interactive workshops and coaching. Natasha is a Certified NLP Practitioner and accredited trainer. For your FREE eBook "The 9 Rules of Time Management: How to Achieve MORE and Do It Quicker", visit www.inspiredhoney.com or contact us at info@inspiredhoney.com

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