Achieving work-life balance: The key to employee happiness

The overstimulated world that we live in today has made it almost a necessity to strive for a healthy work-life balance rather than looking at it as a luxury. Many employees of today whether they work through an online, offline, or hybrid mode, give more importance to flexibility and work conditions that allow them to maintain a healthier balance between their personal and professional lives. 

According to a 2023 report by the World Health Organization, 15% of all working adults were estimated to have a Mental Health Disorder. There has also been a 28% increase in major depressive disorders and a 26% increase in anxiety disorders pre and post-pandemic (WHO, 2023). These figures are quite alarming and demand our focus to be shifted to striving for a workplace that promotes health, happiness, and harmony between the two important parts of every working individual’s life. 

Why should one try to maintain a work-life balance?

1. When you are well-rested and recharged, you can work more effectively. Introducing breaks is the key to sustaining longer at work. Breaks can also help you approach the same situation differently. The world is how you see it so when you’re stressed, pressured, and overwhelmed, it shows in your quality of work and satisfaction levels as well. But when you are well-rested, positive and motivated to work, you can give your 100%.
2. It enhances the quality of your relationships. Work-life balance is essentially focusing on areas of your life that are important other than work. This helps in creating a holistic perspective that focuses on drawing energy and inspiration from multiple things, not just work. 
3. Balance allows for pursuits outside work such as hobbies, travel, or volunteering. These things can enrich your life and expand your perspectives.

Before we explore this topic further, I want to reiterate that it’s important to look at balance as a spectrum. Sometimes, you may be able to achieve a healthy balance, sometimes, you may struggle, and sometimes, achieving balance may be very far from reality. Your balance is always going to be a little bit wavy because, after all, we are human beings guided by emotions. We will always have a set of things that are beyond our control and they can continue to affect our energy, attention, and decision-making capacity from time to time. While aiming to create balance, keeping an open approach to growth and curiosity will always be more helpful than blaming yourself as you strive to achieve a ‘perfect’ balance. 

Analyze your needs and wants:

While creating a list of priorities, it should have the right amount of balance between “shoulds” and “wants”. Should indicate the activities that you are expected to or obligated to do. For example, going to work every day, dropping kids to school, paying bills, taking all 3 meals every day. Whereas wants include all the activities that you want to do because they give you happiness, joy, pleasure or bring in balance in your life. These may include wanting to play tennis every day, wanting to take a holiday with family, watching a film, eating at your favorite restaurant, etc. This will help you scan through your routine and can help you decide how to effectively manage your time and tasks daily.

Set boundaries:

Establish boundaries between your personal and professional life. Establishing boundaries is a tough game and you might have to give up on your stubborn ideas or expectations to achieve that. However, setting boundaries will allow you to create compartments that are healthier for your happiness. For example, no work calls after 7 pm or no phone when the family is dining together. These boundaries are a means to protect your personal space and time so decide them wisely. 

Communicate clearly:

The next step of boundary setting is communicating them clearly to everyone. You cannot expect others to know what we are okay or not okay with. It is equally important to let people know of the said boundaries. Clear communication is a tool that is often underrated. Whether it’s your personal life or professional life, when you communicate clearly, you minimize peoples’ room for assumptions and imagination. This furthers the process of smooth interpersonal communication. 

Ask for help: 

Achieving balance is a two-way act. Sometimes you might have to reach out to people in your organization or your family members to help you out with certain aspects so that you can strike that healthy balance for yourself. Remember that balance is about creating enough space for two things but it is also about creating more space for yourself so that you can handle things more effectively. If you want to enhance your ways of dealing with things, you can also reach out to a professional to seek professional help. A Mental Health Professional can also help you discover how to strike a balance while still taking care of your physical and mental health. 

FAQ:

How do you maintain balance with a demanding career?

Focus on non-negotiables. Create a list of things that you don’t want to compromise on and start by gradually making space for them in whatever capacity you can. Use your days off, comp offs and casual leaves to focus on doing things that bring you peace, relaxation