Panoramic Care Blogs, Insights
As the workplace becomes increasingly competitive, more people are finding themselves putting in extra hours at work. Research shows that two-thirds of British employees are not happy with their work-life balance. That statistic reiterates that a healthy work-life balance is hard to achieve, but it isn’t a myth.
A lot of sectors aren’t easy to fit into a 9 to 5. There may be a ‘long-hours culture’ at work or you may have an endless workload. This is accentuated by remote working becoming the new norm; the boundaries between our homes and the office have disappeared. So, how can you increase your work-life balance?
1) Know when to say no
This is not as easy as it sounds. If you are someone who struggles with saying no to co-workers for instance, you may find yourself having too much on your plate all too often. However, there is no need to respond to requests straight away. Check whether you have time to do it, or tell them you’ll get back to them.
You need to weigh your current workload against the needs of others; it’s a balancing act. Arriving early and staying late to tick off your ever-growing list will only make you burn the candle at both ends.
2) Leave work at work
According to Elite Content Marketer, ‘26% of the work is done outside regular working hours’ (https://elitecontentmarketer.com/work-life-balance-stats/). Despite the fact our smartphones offer us constant distractions, they also allow us to work from anywhere. As such, they have made us more productive and less productive at the same time. A good way to switch off is to write a to-do list for the following day. That way nothing will feel unattended to, and you can leave work stress at work.
3) Work Smart
Prioritisation is the number one thing you need to master if you want to be productive during your work hours. Many people work an 8 hour day minimum. However, there is research that shows in an 8 hour day, ‘just 3 hours will be spent as productive working’ (https://www.socialtalent.com/). To master focus in these 3 hours, we suggest:
- Set deadlines for each task on your list, and work to stick to them.
- Block out time in your diary to complete each task.
- Delegate to your team. Eliminating smaller tasks will increase your productivity.
In 2021, two thirds of the population said that work-life balance is more important than salary. So, why is it so hard to achieve? Work has been taking precedence over our lives for decades. A lack of work-life balance not only causes burnout and costs you your mental health, but companies also suffer in employee engagement and profits.
As live in a meritocratic society, it is sometimes hard to promote a healthy work-life balance. Attitudes towards a healthy work-life balance will continue to evolve with generational, economic and cultural changes. Though historically productisation has been an eventual goal, your health and wellbeing should always be your top priority.
If you have any thoughts on work-life balance in your organisation, please feel free to get in touch with us: info@panoramiccare.co.uk
Alternatively, if you would like to find about more about us and what we do, click here: https://www.panoramiccare.com/about