Monday, June 22, 2015

The Importance of Balance


Hello!

How is your week going?  This week we’re talking about work/life balance.  Recently, Richard Branson added paternity leave for his employees (for London and Geneva offices only, sadly).  This is revolutionary because the US is one of the few countries that does not provide paid maternity leave, never mind, paternity leave. 1  Whether or not you have a family, the main message here is the balance between your personal and professional life. 
There are many significant reasons to have balance, and below are five that we believe are great.

·      Flexibility lowers worker turnover and replacement costs. 5
·      Paid leave and flexibility boosts profits and cuts costs. 5
·      Flexibility alleviates the challenges of balancing personal and professional life. 5
·      More talent will join companies with a flex policy. 5
·      Working remotely has been found to reduce stress and increase job satisfaction. 4



Were those points enough to sell you?  Wouldn’t you find your job more enjoyable and help your company grow simply by having balance? 
Certainly!  And here are five ways to do just that.
·      Work from home as often as you can.  This will not only help relieve the stress of commuting but will also help to make you more productive. 4
·      Be present in the moment.  This focus will help you separate your work and personal life, in order to be your best.
·      Wear suitable attire.  Don’t wear what you wear at home to work and vice versa.  Your clothing is a stimulant that your body responds to.  Why not separate the two completely for the perfect balance?
·      Take time for family.  It’s inevitable that you may miss a family event because of work.  So why not use those vacation days that have been building up to spend time with your family?
·      Force yourself to find balance.  Americans are notorious for working nights and weekends.  No matter how hard you work, you can’t turn back time. 3

As always, thank you for reading and feel free to ask any questions.

 
1.  Kim, Susanna. (May 06, 2015).  US is Only Industrialized Nation Without Paid Maternity Leave.  ABCnews.com.  Retrieved from: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/us-industrialized-nation-paid-maternity-leave/story?id=30852419
2.  Bishop, Katrina. (Jun 11, 2015).  Richard Branson Offers Dads Paternity Leave – For a Year.  CNBC.com.  Retrieved from: http://www.cnbc.com/id/102750784
3.  Weissman, Jordan. (Sep 11, 2014).  Americans, Ever Hateful of Leisure, Are More Likely to Work Nights and Weekends.  slate.com.  Retrieved from: http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/09/11/u_s_work_life_balance_americans_are_more_likely_to_work_nights_and_weekends.html
4.  Gregoire, Carolyn. (Jan 27, 2015).  Working From Home is Good for You and Your Boss .  huffingtonpost.com.  Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/27/work-from-home-health_n_6546838.html
5.  The Council of Economic Advisors. (Jun, 2014).  Nine Facts About American Families and Work.  whitehouse.gov.  Retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/nine_facts_about_family_and_work_real_final.pdf



No comments:

Post a Comment