Do you live to work or work to live? Many people have found to their dismay that in pursuing their work ambitions they are allowing their private life to suffer. Unfortunately, there is no ‘re-set button’ for this situation.
Maintaining the right work-life balance is vital. Here are some tips from experts that should be followed before it becomes too late:
*Offer employees flexible/remote working options. People value employers who empower them to manage their own time. A business center in Delhi has designed shared office spaces to make flexible working conditions feasible. “My employees can work according to their own schedules,” says a client at the business center. “In my experience, the job gets done –often better—when people can attend to their personal chores before tackling the work. With a shared office plan, they can come and go at their own time. It’s a great solution for both.”
* “There’s more to an office than desks and chairs,” says the manager of a business center in Bangalore. The business center provides spaces for resting and recuperating, even playing games like table tennis. The work-life balance can go for a toss if fun activities are not interspersed with long hours of concentrated working. Office spaces in places like Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad also reflect this approach, with the creation of special recreation zones that help take the pressure off working non-stop.
*Regularly review workloads. This is where the modern and stylish meeting rooms in business centers like Andheri and Fort in Mumbai come into play. “These rooms are ideally suited for open and frank discussions between management and employees. “We see who is busy, who stressed, who has extra capacity,” says one team leader. “The work is evenly distributed when we can all sit down and talk things over. Tipping the balance with extra workloads can be disastrous for the employee’s private life. Taking corrective action in time is imperative.”
*Flexible office solutions are the answer when the focus is on productivity rather than hours put in on a job. Business centers in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad as well as Andheri and Fort in Mumbai are designed to give people enough leeway to work at their own pace and their own time. Office spaces can be expanded or contracted as per the needs of the project. Flexi timings allow for a better balance between personal and office lives. Quality time is spent on work, improving performance and productivity.
*Lead by example. Managers and senior executives can set the tone by taking breaks, leaving the office on time so employees can follow their example and not sit glued to their desks –as the law of diminishing returns sets in. Bosses can also stop emailing employees out of office hours, or expect them to deliver work to unreasonable time scales –this should be the exception rather than the rule.
*Encourage employees to volunteer. Employees should be given the freedom to volunteer a portion of their time towards social causes they believe in. They will feel better about themselves and will end up delivering better work. Business centers in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Andheri, and Fort in Mumbai support volunteer activities by their members by regularly making space available for meetings. A ‘feel-good factor for all concerned.
People are a company’s most valuable asset. The success of the company is dependent on the well-being and happiness of its workforce. Supporting a good work-life balance for employees is not just humane, it also makes business sense. The proof can be seen on the bottom line