Work-life balance is essential in the current context, with a health crisis impacting people’s private and professional lives. It is increasingly necessary for company teams to achieve a balance that allows them to optimize performance and enjoy idle time without guilt, recognizing the benefits that this disconnection offers to the performance of daily tasks.
by Jessica Mendoza, Team Management at Xtendo Group
For some time now, the way teams work has changed radically. In the past, companies had mostly contracted personnel, with all that this implied: to comply with a workday of a certain number of hours, to respond to routines within a controlled environment and to leave, outside of that workday, any time for dispersion or personal enjoyment.
Although there were moments of active rest and social interaction within the same, there was a physical differentiation between professional and personal spaces, given that for the latter, activities tended to take place in a different place from the workplace.
With the home office modality, the physical space began to be the same, both to fulfill professional tasks and to enjoy personal moments. In addition, by not keeping track of the time in and out of the workday, it becomes difficult to set limits and put a stop to it.
Likewise, those who work remotely often see it as an opportunity to get as much work done as possible. Even if this means staying up late at night, this not only alters the balance between work and personal life, but also interferes with the circadian rhythm and the routines of hygiene and good rest.
Another consequence of remote work is that direct contact with co-workers is lost. Having people with whom you can exchange ideas and find joint solutions is an experience that cannot be replicated in the virtual world in the same way, since video calls – a tool used for this purpose – although they make it possible to communicate certain aspects, they leave out the very important body language.
It is possible to add context by paying attention to changes in voice and facial expressions, but, without a doubt, being in completely different environments and circumstances can make it difficult to fully – or deeply – understand the situation of other colleagues and provide the corresponding support or help. Not to mention that, for many people, this practice is an additional emotional burden or stress, even considered an invasion of privacy.
It is for this reason that companies must keep the well-being of their employees in mind and evaluate the methodology by which they will communicate effectively to achieve their goals.
How to incorporate an appropriate work-life balance?
The responsibility for maintaining the balance lies with both parties. On the one hand, the employee must be aware of the company’s tasks and expectations in order to be able to organize his or her agenda accordingly, estimating the time required to meet expectations and assigning proportional spaces for work and social life.
On the other hand, it is the employee who should be able to avoid being overloaded with activities, be they meetings or one-off activities, and set healthy limits. However, it is up to the company to develop activities that allow employees to perform effectively in their professional environment and to relax in harmonious parts of the company.
It is up to organizations to facilitate the passage between work and leisure time, within healthy limits, by designing programs and activities for this purpose.
Whether due to excessive work or lack of concrete indications, it has been proven that an imbalance can lead to loss of motivation and productivity. To prevent and reverse this situation, some companies have adopted a work wellness scheme.
Although today they are a minority -because it requires effort and resources necessary for its implementation- it is expected that this number will increase, accompanying the awareness and recognition of the importance and benefits that could be obtained just by taking into account the needs and demands of their employees.
The change that is here to stay
A company that understands and works on the needs of an employee creates, within the organization, a good working environment. It also generates an emotional impact and sense of belonging in the employees, while a company that does not create strategies to offer well-being to its employees will probably have personnel that will be there out of necessity and not for the love of what they do, resulting in high personnel turnover, unqualified work, demotivation and low productivity rates.
Most companies were not prepared to migrate their teams to remote mode, so such containment, retention and loyalty programs – which can be beneficial for health, performance, motivation and identification with the company, as well as for increasing the feeling of recognition by the company – became a key element to incorporate, regardless of the available budget.
Today, people’s well-being has a different meaning than it did two decades ago, if not less. The pandemic has awakened people’s need to share with their families, to value more the moments of dispersion and to obtain enjoyment from other sources than the ones they were used to, even prioritizing experiences over monetary rewards.
This change is an aspect that companies cannot ignore if they wish to contribute to the work-life balance of their employees and, consequently, enjoy the aforementioned benefits.
Although a light is beginning to appear at the end of the tunnel with respect to the pandemic and its effects, for example, the return to mixed offices and modalities, in some places more than in others, is undoubtedly a historical fact that marked a before and after.
Three pillars to achieve the desired balance
The needs of both companies and individuals have changed and will continue to do so. In order to adapt successfully, knowing that time is a limited resource, it is essential to find the right balance between the hours dedicated to satisfying personal needs and professional tasks.
While the whole world is moving at different paces towards the so-called “new normal”, there are three pillars that all stakeholders should consider in order to achieve the desired balance between personal and work, without neglecting any aspect:
- Establish healthy boundaries.
- Dedicate quality time to personal life.
- Remember that productivity is not equal to time spent on a task.
The key, in addition to the three pillars mentioned above, is to think in the medium and long term, since this desired balance is a dynamic state, a perception generated over multiple days, which is why the strategies implemented by companies and employees, above all, must be sustainable over time.
The message is clear, working life will never be the same again and insisting on methodologies from the previous paradigm, which are completely obsolete and outdated for the current context, will not be good for either party. It is up to each organization and employee to open their eyes and act accordingly, or look away and contribute to their own deterioration.
