How to Successfully Integrate Work & Life

In almost every aspect of life, balance and moderation are important to have. Whether it is dieting or exercising to maintain a healthy lifestyle, or maintaining discipline by studying to retain knowledge for school or work, these practices need to be done properly. Doing any of these activities excessively may be detrimental to one’s health, and it could have adverse side effects.

For employees, one of the most valued offerings that a company can provide is work-life balance. Depending on the industry and position, achieving work-life balance can be easier or harder for others. But ultimately, it is also dependent on the company itself with how it wants employees to work in a given environment.

Some companies have a set expectation where work must be done as soon as possible, and even if it goes beyond working-hours, it has to be done due to its importance. While other companies are more lenient and prioritizes the division of where work must end.

But approximately a year and a half ago, the expectations for many employees who work at an office changed drastically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Mckinsey reported in an analysis, remote work had many implications that transformed the expectations of work.

One of the most common difficulties that many employees have experienced from working remotely is drawing the line with where work ends, as we discussed in our previous blog. Although working remotely has been a convenience for some, for others it has resulted in longer working hours as the separation between work and home has been lost.

The Ideal Middle Ground Between Life and Work

In a poll conducted by Monster Careers, it found that 80 percent of the respondents were unhappy with their work-life balance. As previously mentioned, work-life balance is a highly desirable offering that an employer can provide to their employees. A report by Gallup has found that there is a direct correlation where employees who are able to maintain their performance goals at work are the same employees who are provided with a healthy work-life balance by their employers.

With the pandemic forcing many companies to rethink how their employees can work, some have opted to make work from home a permanent fixture, while others are moving forward with a hybrid model that would involve going back to the office a few days during the week.

For employees, how do you find the proper work-life balance depending on what is right for your lifestyle? But how do you also do it given the choice that your employer has decided with how they want their employees to work?

Well Street has a specialized seminar titled “Creating Balance: Walking the Thin Work-Life Line” which explores the importance of setting boundaries and helping employees make a hard separation between work and home.

Depending on your situation, consider some of our tips below depending on how you will be working moving forward.

Returning to the Office

Although it is often assumed that many employees would prefer to not return to the office, a poll by Eden Workplace found that 85 percent of workers who were surveyed are looking forward to returning to the office. Although this can be attributed to many employees who likely are feeling tired of working from home, the consensus suggests that there are still some who are interested in this type of work setting.

For those who are in this position, it is arguably the easiest to create that balance as there is a physical separation between work and home. Knowing that there are two different environments, employees who have to return to the office should remind themselves that work is isolated to when they are in the office, unless in special circumstances where they need to accomplish something that is dire.

Hybrid Work Model

Just like the topic of balance, the hybrid work model combines the best of both worlds where employees can have the chance to work from home, while also returning to the office in a divided split every work week. A report by Accenture found that 83 percent of workers would prefer a hybrid work model, where employees cited that they can reap the benefits of both working methods.

Although there is a distinction between work and home, there may be times where employees may feel obligated to work at the office more or at home more depending on their tasks. To maintain that healthy balance, it would be a good idea for employees to keep an even split between working from home and working at the office to ensure that they do not get trapped into doing one more frequently over the other. Doing this would encourage them to still understand where the boundaries of work and home end.

Permanent Remote Work

For some companies, working from home has become a permanent fixture as some are seeing that doing this could be beneficial for both employees and the company. In one of our previous blogs, some companies have decided to move forward with permanent remote work as some have cited studies that have indicated that working from home could boost productivity for employees.

From all the work options, remote work can be the toughest to navigate for employees who are hoping to achieve the perfect work-life balance. Since there is no physical separation, employees who work from home need to discipline themselves by setting a set schedule of when work ends. It is important to remember that it is not normal to work past usual business hours, unless under special circumstances. Also remember that work will always be there, and as an employee, it is important to know that it has to stop at one point and it can be done when the time is right.

About Well Street

At Well Street, we are founded on the principles of introducing healthy practices to the workplace, which encompasses both mental and physical health. Comprised of medical professionals who have a background in naturopathy, we aim to help organizations foster a healthy corporate environment in order to boost productivity and morale.

If you would like to learn more about how our team can help you or your company, consider contacting us to find out more. We are happy to provide you with guidelines and approaches to support the wellbeing of your team members through virtual seminars and programs.