MANAGING THE WORKPLACE WORK-LIFE BALANCE

MANAGING THE WORKPLACE WORK-LIFE BALANCE

What You Need To Know

Work-life balance is the ability of employees to balance the needs of their work with other needs in their lives. It does not mean dividing an employee’s time in half between their home and professional lives.

What may work for one employee may not work for another due to differences in work, home lives, interests, stress. etc.

Some indicators of a problem in the workplace are:

• High staff turnover or inability to keep staff
• Increased sick or unpaid leave
• Increased stress symptoms among staff
  • Moodiness
  • Memory problems
  • Nervous habits
  • Low productivity
  • Sense of depression
• Need to re-evaluate existing staff benefits
• Increased personal calls at work

Why You Need To Know

The annual financial loss from employees trying to balance work and family obligations is estimated at $2.7 billion in Canada. This estimate includes lost time due to stress, medical leave, dealing with dependents, and other family responsibilities.

What You Need To Do

Some solutions to increase work-life balance in your workplace include:

• Flexible schedules where employees start and finish work at different hours
• Job sharing where two or more employees to share a job
• Employee assistance programs support employees to get third-party help
• Allow an employee to bank hours for later
• Allow employees to complete personal tasks during work time, with the expectation of finishing work tasks as well
• Respect family life: include family in some company events
• Assist in the provision of child care: subsidize or provide low-cost care
• Family leave: paid or unpaid
• Compressed work weeks: work more hours per day for fewer days per week
• Work from home (telecommuting)
• Fitness options: providing time off or fee subsidies for fitness programs

Domestic Violence Can Negatively Impact Employee at Work

It has been said that domestic violence doesn’t stay home when its victims go to work. Family violence can enter the workplace when an abuser attempts to harass, stalk, threaten, or injure a victim at work.  If you suspect that an employee is in a domestic violence situation you should read the “Addressing Family Violence: A Guide for PEI Workplaces.”  It is a free resource for employers.