How to Promote a Healthy Work Life Balance in Your Business

For some professionals in demanding jobs, the very idea of a healthy work life balance once seemed like a pipedream. However, the pandemic allowed many employees to see what more equilibrium between their professional and personal lives might look like, and since then, it’s been difficult to go back.

These days, employees want more control over their schedules and a satisfying life outside of the office — and not just on weekends. They want to enjoy the autonomy and freedom flexible working arrangements can bring and make the most of workplace benefits and amenities that prioritise health, wellness and happiness.

In honour of National Work Life Week, which runs from 10-14 October, we’re going to look at some of the steps you can take to promote a healthy work life balance in your business.

Work Life Balance Meaning

A good work life balance is all about achieving a comfortable equilibrium between our personal and professional lives.

What constitutes a healthy work life balance differs from one employee to the next depending on their goals, their personal commitments and their stage of life. For example, a parent with three young children will have different priorities than a recent graduate who wants to establish themselves in a demanding career.

Over the last 20 years, mobile technology and cloud-based software have increasingly blurred the lines between workers’ professional and personal lives and made many employees feel as if they’re permanently at work. The pandemic helped to reset this ‘always-on’ mentality and has highlighted, for both employers and employees, the importance of drawing a clear line between the two aspects of our lives.

The Importance of a Healthy Work Life Balance

A good work life balance has an important part to play in any healthy working environment. Millennials and Gen Z workers in particular are interested in finding career paths that support their lifestyle goals. Many are not prepared to put up with the long hours and commutes of previous generations. Instead, they actively seek out organisations that value a healthy work life balance and empower employees to enjoy a satisfying life outside of the office.

But it’s not just employees who stand to benefit from this type of culture - employers do as well. When staff are given more control over their schedule and have enough time to finish their projects at work, go for a run and pick up their kids from school, businesses can benefit too. Here’s how.

Increased productivity

A good work life balance makes workers feel less stressed, more refreshed and more motivated to take on tasks at the office. More motivated employees are more productive and efficient, and that approach to work, more often than not, permeates around the office.

Reduced stress

Promoting a healthy work life balance can help reduce stress, which is one of the most common and costly health conditions in the workplace. Workplace stress is not only linked to physical health conditions such as aches, pains, hypertension and heart problems, but also mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and insomnia.

Better staff retention

With the majority of workers now prioritising their work life balance over salary, taking steps to actively improve your company culture can help you retain the best talent and reduce the costs of recruitment.

Higher employee engagement

Employees who are happier in their professional (and personal!) lives and feel valued by their employers tend to be more engaged and switch on at work. They also have more positive feelings towards their coworkers and managers.

How to Promote a Positive Work Life Balance

The demand for a healthy work life balance is here to stay, and it’s only going to grow as flexible working arrangements become more widespread. So what steps can you take to improve the work life balance in your workplace? From your choice of office location to the benefits and working policies you can put in place, here are a few tips.

1. Choose the right office location

Despite hybrid and remote working being on the rise, there is still a lot of value in having an office to bring employees together and service clients. When it comes to choosing your office location, there are several factors to consider that can help to promote a positive work life balance for your team.

One of the biggest factors is accessibility. Even if you operate on a hybrid working model, employees will still travel to the office two or three times a week - so, it’s worth making their commute as quick and painless as possible by ensuring there are good transport links nearby.

Walkability should also feature high on your list of priorities, with modern employees increasingly wanting shops, restaurants and green spaces within easy reach so they can run errands, go for walks and socialise with their colleagues and.

2. Make the work environment more attractive

It’s not just the location of your office that can help to boost the work life balance of your employees. There are also changes you can make internally to create spaces that support the way your staff want to live and work.

Agile office layouts, which allow your employees to get away from their desks and work in specific hubs and zones, can make workspaces more inviting and attractive. Creating communal areas where colleagues can sit and chat for a few minutes or grab a coffee can also help to reduce stress and enhance the work life balance.

It’s also worth thinking about the areas you can create to promote health and wellbeing and allow your employees to commute in a way that suits them. For example, workplace showers, lockers and changing areas are perfect for those who cycle to work or head to the gym at lunch. Outside spaces and rooftop terraces can also give your team breathing space and access to fresh air and natural light.

3. Put flexible working practices in place

Flexible working practices such as agile and hybrid working models give employees more control over how their working lives are organised and foster greater employee loyalty and commitment. Although hybrid and remote working have become much more common over the last couple of years, there are also many other flexible working practices you can consider, including:

• Part-time working
• Flexi-time
• Self-rostering, or allowing employees to choose the shifts they work
• Job sharing

Paid sabbatical schemes and unpaid career breaks can also be a very effective way to retain and reward valued staff while giving them the freedom to enjoy extended time away from work. Holiday purchase schemes that allow staff to buy additional days off on top of their usual entitlement are also very popular.

Read more: Four hybrid working challenges and how to overcome them.

4. Think carefully about employee perks and benefits

Exercise is one of the first things to be sacrificed when employees work long hours and have extensive commutes. However, making time for health is an important part of promoting a good work life balance. You can make it easier for your team to make healthy choices by offering perks and benefits such as cheaper gym memberships, free exercise and well-being classes and subsidised canteens serving healthy, freshly cooked food. Businesses can also create and nurture their own sports teams and provide paid time off so workers can compete.

But don’t forget that a good work life balance looks different for every employee. Including perks like subsidised childcare and even an on-site creche, and allowing employees to choose the perks that are most relevant to them can add value to your business and boost your reputation as an employer that takes care of its people.

It’s About More Than Just the Hours

As this blog post shows, promoting a healthy work life balance in your business is about more than just the hours your employees spend at work versus enjoying their personal lives. Introducing flexible working practices is certainly important, but so is improving the overall workplace experience for your teams.

Prioritising comfortable office environments, an accessible location and perks and benefits that can make a real difference in peoples’ lives can cultivate a happy workplace environment and give employees the space they need to thrive.

Searching for a flexible office space that can boost the work life balance of your team? Get in touch with our experts and we’ll help you find a space that’s right for your business.

As the world of work evolves, how can you stay competitive?

Get your monthly dose of workplace insights, productivity hacks and business leadership ideas - delivered straight to your inbox.