Maintaining a work-life balance

If you feel like most of your time and effort is spent on work, but your personal life is neglected, then this is a must-read for you.

What is a work-life balance?

A healthy work-life balance refers to maintaining a harmonious relationship with your work and personal life. It involves consciously managing your time and energy to meet both professional and personal commitments, while prioritising self-care and well-being. 

How do I achieve this?

•Setting barriers: This involves establishing a clear barrier between work and your personal life by defining specific working hours and separating work-related tasks from personal activities.
•Time management: Efficiently organising and prioritising tasks, ensuring that you allocate enough time for work responsibilities as well as personal pursuits, such as spending time with family, engaging in hobbies or pursuing personal goals.
•Stress management: Implementing strategies to manage stress, such as practising mindfulness, engaging in regular exercise, taking breaks and unplugging from work-related activities when needed.
•Flexibility: Having the ability to  adjust your schedule to accommodate unforeseen circumstances without jeopardising work commitments.

Signs of an unbalanced work-life dynamic

•You can’t stop thinking about work when you’re not at work.
•Your relationships both inside and outside of work are beginning to suffer. You may be easily irritated with coworkers and distant with loved ones.
•You feel off. 
•You have unexplained aches and pains. 
•When you are not at work, everything seems uninteresting or unimportant. 
•You spend a lot of money outsourcing support for personal tasks. Your laundry, dishes, and mail pile up, waiting for the day when you “have time” to get around to them.
•You struggle to take time off when you are sick, mentally strained or when you need to take care of personal tasks. 
•You cannot imagine doing what you do for the rest of your life, even if you work in a field or a company you once loved.
•You always feel like no matter what you are doing, you should be doing something else. 

Assisting employees to maintain a work-life balance.

1. Remind your team to unplug.
2. Give employees space to connect.
3. Educate employees on their benefits.
4. Check in with direct reports.
5. Set an example for your team.
6. Be aware of company culture and norms.
7. Respect working hours.

Anisha Naidoo
HR Manager

Reference 

Cambridge Dictionary (2023). Work-life balance. Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/work-life-balance. Accessed January 6, 2023.