Work life balance is something many people talk about, but only some achieve. It means finding satisfaction in the amount of time you work versus your time outside of work. The balance looks different for everyone. Some people enjoy working more hours, while others work to get through the day and the rest of their lives.
Regardless of where the line is drawn, everyone—workers and employers—are better off with balance. Employees get more engaged, efficient workers. Employees get better health and overall well-being.
Balance Equals Better Health
Finding your state of equilibrium will improve your overall wellness. What most people don’t realize is how much this impacts physical health. One obvious reason is that being too busy at work interferes with healthy lifestyle choices, like eating well and making time for exercise.
Less obvious is the fact that the stress of an out-of-balance lifestyle can weaken the immune system, causing you to get sick more often. It can also lead to high blood pressure, which, in turn, causes a whole host of other health problems.
Studies confirm that people who work too much are less physically well. For employers, poor worker health only costs the company more money in lost time and other expenses.
No More Burnout at Work
Burnout is where poor mental and physical health meet. If you feel overworked, stretched thin, and underappreciated on the job, you risk getting to this state. Burnout is a physical and emotional state of extreme exhaustion brought about by ongoing stress.
One of the most important things you can do about burnout on the job is to seek greater balance. If it’s too late, and you’re already in that state, ask for help. It’s not a weakness to admit, and it could spark a big, positive change in how you live and work.
Another factor that contributes to burnout is poor or inadequate sleep. Improve your sleep, and you’ll be much more resilient at work. Evaluate your sleeping situation to see where you can make improvements, like a new mattress, as well as addressing any stiffness or discomfort from mattresses that didn’t provide proper support that were used in the past. Check out the best mattress for side sleepers and pain relief, mattresses with your preferred firmness, and more. It’s a worthwhile investment that will impact all areas of your life.
Improved Engagement
Unhealthy, burned-out workers need to be more engaged and effective. When employees feel rushed and overworked, they won’t be able to find any enjoyment in what they do. When you feel fulfilled outside of work and are able to come in refreshed, it’s easier to get engaged and interested in the work.
This is huge for employers because people will do their best work when engaged with it. For employees, engagement leads to a feeling of satisfaction and purpose that improves happiness and mental health.
Engagement Leads to Productivity
That engagement boosts productivity is a well-established fact. According to some studies, engaged workers are up to 22 percent more productive than those who feel unsatisfied or bored with their jobs. If you are an employer, helping your workers engage does more than improve productivity. It also leads to less turnover and absenteeism.
As a worker, you might feel like you need to be more engaged and productive for a variety of reasons, such as a lack of purpose or a poor manager. A big factor is balance. If you feel pushed too hard at work, you might become uninterested at best and resentful at worst. Companies can help workers become more engaged and productive by supporting a healthy work-life balance.
Balance and Mindfulness Go Hand-in-Hand
Another element of an engaged and satisfied worker that isn’t often talked about is mindfulness. Mindfulness is a state of awareness and focus that is beneficial to health. Mindfulness is easy and accessible for anyone to practice.
Mindfulness is useful for someone seeking greater balance because it trains you to be more aware and focused on the present moment. This helps you work more effectively and better enjoy the rest of your life without distracting work thoughts and causing stressful interruptions.
Employers benefit from helping workers practice mindfulness too. Practising mindfulness regularly improves focus, concentration, memory, and the ability to perform complex tasks. Just by introducing mindfulness to workers, companies can help them find greater balance, engagement on the job, productivity, and overall wellness.
With Balance, Everyone Wins
Work-life balance shouldn’t be something employees have to fight tooth and nail for. The benefits go both ways and can be life-changing for individuals. Workers should fight for a healthy balance if necessary, but employers should make it easy for their employees to find their own personal measure of balance.