101: Achieving work-life balance
Work-life balance has become a normal part of business conversation. Employees strive for it, and employers are navigating what it means for office policies. Through prioritizing, setting realistic expectations, and implementing changes, you can take the first steps to achieving balance.
Prioritize what is important to you. The first step to creating a work-life balance is determining what it means to you. Everyone has different priorities, so step back, take stock of your life, and really think about what is important to you. Consider focusing on your mental and physical health as a starting point. “Prioritizing your health first and foremost will make you a better employee and person. You will miss less work, and when you are there, you will be happier and more productive,” Marisa Sanfilippo wrote for Business News Daily.
Set realistic expectations. The normal expectation is an 8-hour workday, but some jobs require longer hours. If you are salaried, you will not be compensated for overtime. In Forbes, Erik Pham suggests outlining reasons why you are experiencing burnout and suggesting some realistic solutions to your supervisor whether they are additional breaks, more guidance, or a change in your workload/schedule. Make sure your suggestions are reasonable and align with your work responsibilities.
Implementing changes to improve your situation. The final step in achieving work-life balance is following through in both your professional and personal life. Professionally, you can advocate for yourself by being proactive in using your vacation time, not overburdening your work schedule, and expressing your needs to your boss. Privately, you can be committed to work-life balance by setting boundaries for yourself such as unplugging from work emails and devices after hours or not volunteering to work on holidays or weekends so you can spend time with your family. The combination of implementing changes in the workplace and your private life is proven to be the more effective and sustainable way of achieving work-life balance, Ioana Lupu and Mayra Ruiz-Castro write in Harvard Business Review.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments