HOW TO HELP YOUR EMPLOYEES
ACHIEVE WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Far from being a luxury, the notion of achieving an optimal work-life balance has become a key goal for working professionals worldwide. In the Middle East, professionals are quite clear about their priorities: they want, first and foremost, a better work-life balance. Whether it is to spend more time with family and friends or on sports and learning pursuits, a good work-life balance has been repeatedly identified as the top motivating factor at work in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
In this article, I will be providing some tips to make the process of achieving work-life balance more attainable and realistic.
Set the example
Management support for work-life balance is critical, and it must come from the top. Too often, the perception that hard work is the only way to rise in a company keeps employees at the grindstone, working themselves into illness. Top executives can set examples of good work-life balances and make it known that the same is expected from rank-and-file employees.
The Bayt.com ‘Work-Life Balance in the MENA’ poll shows that 89.3% of professionals in the region believe that balancing work and life is actually possible.
Use employee surveys
Surveys of employees’ work-life issues can help a company understand workers’ needs and design appropriate policies to meet them.
Set priorities for all work
When priorities are unclear, employees tend to overwork because they think that everything must get done at once. Setting priorities allows employees to schedule tasks over a reasonable period of time. Results from the Bayt.com ‘Work-Life Balance in the MENA’ poll indicate that 35.4% of professionals in the MENA very often end up working outside work hours by choice, while 27.8% professionals admit that they work outside work hours due to necessity. If the overtime is chronic, talk to your team and suggest an alternate solution they would be happy with; if it’s a seasonal or temporary issue, you may want to ensure that their efforts are not going to be in the least bit unnoticed, unappreciated or unrewarded.
Train line managers to recognize signs of overwork
Supervisors can spot increasing error rates, absenteeism and signs of stress-related burnout more easily than anyone else in the organization. Employees who show these signs of a poor work-life balance can be referred to employee-assistance programs.
22 | TRAINING MAGAZINE MIDDLE EAST Q3 2015
COLUMN - Executive Talk
BY SUHAIL MASRI