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Life at Work

Dealing with Change

Stress in the Workplace

Improving Job Satisfaction

Work-Life Balance

Working Relationships

Assertiveness

Performance Appraisals

Remote Working

Salary Negotiations

Work-Life Balance

The 21st century has undoubtedly seen a significant increase in consumer demand which means that service providers are under constant pressure to deliver on a 24/7 basis. This in turn means that employees are required to work longer hours with some spending more time at the office than they do at home.

Flexible hours

The need, and the right, to spend quality time with your family, while also earning a decent wage, has normally been associated with working mothers, but flexible working is now considered to be the entitlement of fathers as well. Paid paternity leave is offered by many companies and flexible hours allow both mothers and fathers to bring up their families while also providing for them financially.

However, people with no dependents are also taking advantage of flexible hours to enable them to achieve a healthy work-life balance with the opportunity to pursue further training or to enjoy their favourite leisure activities.

Benefits to the employer

By offering flexible hours, an employer can provide a service to their customers whenever they are required to while also enjoying increased productivity as a result of the improved morale of their workforce. Other benefits include a reduction in absence and an increase in staff retention as well as an improved reputation as a fair employer.

Another way for employers to maximise the benefits of flexible working is to offer the possibility of working from home. This may lead to a reduction in office space required with achievement of associated cost savings.

Other ways of improving quality of life

Some employers still do not offer flexible working but there are other ways of improving your working environment to help towards the achievement of a healthier work-life balance. You can make a conscious effort to reduce the number of days you work late and ensure that you take regular breaks throughout the day. Try to allow time off in order to attend family events and prioritise your daily workload so that when you do finish for the day you can go home and relax rather than thinking about the work you have left behind.

To achieve a healthy work-life balance, it is necessary not only to alter working hours but also to implement changes in working practices. Employees will benefit from this in terms of improved job satisfaction while employers will realise improvements in productivity and, ultimately, profitability. The main aim of offering flexible hours is to ensure that there is a suitable option for everyone in line with their personal requirements.