Work-life Balance – Meaning, Consequences of Imbalance, Strategies to Improve and Advantages

Meaning of Work-life balance

Employee health has suffered as the lines between work and personal life have blurred in modern times. Work-life balance refers to striking the optimal balance between personal and professional activities so that neither suffers. It refers to balancing the importance of private and professional time in one's life. The ideal work-life balance is one in which work and life can coexist while not undermining either, so that there is little or no distinction between an individual's professional and personal lives.

Negative Consequences of work-life imbalance

Work-life imbalance has negative consequences. These are as under:

1. Stress: A common symptom of a poor work-life balance is stress. Mental stress has been identified as a significant economic and health problem in the information economy, caused by employees' perceived need to do more in less time.

2. Poor Performance: Employee mental and physical stress affects not only the employee's personal life, but also their creativity, acumen, and productivity on the job. This ultimately harms organisational goals to which the employee cannot enthusiastically contribute.

3. Poor Personal Life: It is the responsibility of an organisation to build a sound and harmoniously functioning society. Thus, the growth of an organisation should not come at the expense of the growth of society and its constituents. A stressful job at such an organisation will strain an employee's private-personal relationships, making it difficult to maintain such relationships. These relationships are required for an employee's survival and psychological needs, according to Maslow's need hierarchy theory.

4. Poor Mental and Physical Health: When an employee's mental and physical health suffers, he or she is unable to give their best effort. Employee turnover, absenteeism, and resignation are all common in such a company. Organizations should strive to alleviate workplace stress.

Workplace Strategies to Improve Work life balance

To achieve a balance, the following are some strategies to achieve work-life balance. There are specific guidelines for maintaining a proper work-life balance, some of which are as follows:

1. Elder/Child Care: the burden of unfulfilled responsibilities causes stress. The organisation may be able to alleviate some of the burden. One such method is to provide in-house elder/child care, which could assist caregivers in a concentrated environment while the organisation handles their personal responsibility of elder or child care.

2. Family Leave: a parental or care leave reduces stress by allowing an employee to take time away from work to attend to personal responsibilities. It also includes monetary, medical reimbursement, and paid leave incentives that relieve employees of financial burdens.

3. Dual Career: Work placement at an employee's partner's place of work, as well as assistance in moving and settling, is another way to help an employee correct a work life imbalance.

4. Leisure Time: When a person can schedule his tasks and divide time appropriately, he is able to devote enough time to his work and career development goals while also making time for leisure and personal development.

5. Time Management: Individuals should manage their time wisely and avoid time-consuming and energy-consuming activities that do not produce output for either their work or leisure lives. This time saved from wasteful activities can be allocated to either quality personal time or simply completing duty tasks.

6. Delegation: Delegate or outsource subordinate work to others while keeping acts of specialisation to yourself.

7. Time for Self: Relaxation provides better rejuvenation from the monotony of work, improves work-life balance, and tends to improve professional or work productivity. This de-stressing activity relieves stress, allowing you to manage work and life more effectively.

8. Task Management: Failure to prioritise work rationally results in the waste of time and energy on less important activities while deferring the most important tasks. This poor task management causes stress. Better planning can help employees save unnecessary time delays, which they can then use for personal work.

10. Flexi-Time: Another approach to teaching work-life balance is flexi time, in which the employee is free to choose working hours outside of the core time, relieving him of significant stress.

11. Work from Home: Employees, particularly women, are expected to multitask between family and work. Working from home allows them to complete fixed goals at times that are convenient for them, without having to travel to work or sacrifice family time.

Advantages of Work-Life Balance:

Work-life balance has several advantages. Some of these are discussed further below:

1. Employee Engagement and Motivation: Work-life balance increases employee motivation, engagement, and satisfaction, allowing them to perform better at work.

2. Stress Relief: It allows people to relax and rejuvenate by allowing them to spend leisure time with their loved ones.

3. Productivity: Companies can maximise productivity from a rejuvenated and refreshed employee. Employees who are overworked and under pressure tend to underperform.

4. Job Satisfaction: Due to professional and personal life balance, employees are able to manage their work and personal life effectively, by the reason of which they are more likely to enjoy their job. High job satisfaction reduces turnover rates and encourages loyalty to the company.

5. Healthy Lifestyle: A work-life balance can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle. This includes stress-free routines, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and so on. By managing work demands and personal responsibilities effectively, employees can maintain better mental health and can give more focus on physical activities, hobbies, and relaxation.

6. Lesser Employee Turnover: Enthusiastic and motivated employees can help the business grow because they are more attached to their jobs and careers. Companies that promote work-life balance are often more attractive to top talent. Potential employees are more likely to choose employers who recognize the importance of personal time and provide flexible working conditions.