How to maintain a perfect work-life balance for higher productivity

In today’s hectic corporate schedule, the work-life balance has been completely uprooted. Advanced technology has made workstation accessible from remote places, which has increased the working hours of employees. According to the Harvard Business School Survey, around 94% of professionals were reported to work more than 50 hours per week and almost half of the surveyed professionals had worked for more than 65 hours.

One of the key factors that affect the work-life balance is technology. It is true that advancements in technologies have made our life easier; however, every coin has two sides. For example, cellphones notifications hamper our quality time, affects our thoughts and thus, increases the pressure level. There are times when you should just shut your phone off and enjoy the moment,” says Robert Brooks, Harvard Medical School professor and co-author of The Power of Resilience: Achieving Balance, Confidence and Personal Strength in Your Life. “Resilient people feel a greater sense of control over their lives,” says Brooks.

According to fitness experts, work-life balance is of utmost importance for a happy and healthy life. A perfect work-life balance also boosts productivity by improving employee flexibility. The experts believe that if you can take out time to eat and sleep, then you should also take out time to meditate and relax. This would help to maintain the necessary balance in life.

Puder-York, health expert thinks that you should always have spare time for some kind of exercises, yoga or meditation. “When I talk about balance, not everything has to be the completion and achievement of a task, it also has to include self-care so that your body, mind, and soul are being refreshed,” says Puder-York.

"Whether you take a walk in the park, get a massage or [take] a hot bath, it's important to always set aside an hour a week to do something for yourself," said Mark Feldman, vice president of marketing at Seven Step RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing). "If you don't, the time will seem to fly by, resulting in your stress levels and exhaustion going up."

Looking at the growing stress levels among the employees globally, it is high time that organizations address the work-life balance issues and take corrective measures. A balance in work life would boost the employee morale and increase their engagement level, thereby increasing the overall productivity in the company.

Below are few measures that the HR department of an organization can take to address the work-life balance problem:

• Job sharing
• Telecommuting
• Flexible work schedules
• Conducting Seminars
• Discussing with managers to set priorities
• Conducting in-house employee surveys
• Using technological products such as Oracle HCM to reduce work loads
• Discouraging work from remote places