Remote Staffing provides Employees Work Life Balance

 

 

If you pay attention to news about business trends, you’ve likely heard that millennials are taking over the workforce. You’ve probably also heard a lot about work-life balance. And you’ve read an article or two about the challenges of employee retention in the changing economy.

 

What you may not have seen is something that pulls all of this information together. Why, exactly, is work-life balance so important for millennials—and other workers, for that matter—and what does that have to do with retention?

 

 

Some studies have tried to offer that kind of cohesive information.

 

For example, a recent survey by TINYpulse showed that workers with good work-life balance said they were 12 percent more likely to stay with their employers than colleagues who didn’t have such balance in their lives.

 

So the connection between balance and retention definitely exists.

 

If you’re still trying to understand why this is such a big deal, here are three reasons employees’ control over their work-life situation is crucial for employee retention

 

 

1. Today’s workers expect some blending of work and personal time (and they like it that way)

 

While some people feel that work-life balance can only be achieved through an absolute separation of their work and personal lives, more people today are embracing the idea of work-life integration.

 

They expect to answer the occasional email from home during the evening, or maybe work on a project after the kids are in bed. But they also want the freedom to take care of a personal phone call while at the office or spend a few minutes on social media.

 

A Fast Company article addressed this change in perspective and its effect on both feelings of balance and employee retention.

 

“Of course, you don’t want to have employees spending all their time on tasks that have nothing to do with their tasks and the company’s goals, but think of it the other way around: Don’t you also want at least some of your employees’ personal time to be invested into driving value to your business?

 

In other words, the blurred line between work and life is a two-way street. With employees now, you’re no longer getting a nine-to-five, clock-in, clock-out worker. You’re getting someone who considers your brand an extension of her own personal brand. When things get hairy at 9 p.m., many employees won’t blink an eye when it comes to answering that email,” noted the Fast Company article.

 

 

2. Workers want a sense of wellness in all parts of their lives, and a company that shows it cares will earn their loyalty

 

For many people, work-life balance means more than having time to spend with their families. They want to provide their labor for a company that truly cares for them as individuals.Offering reasonable working hours and generous PTO policies are part of that equation. But engendering strong loyalty might take even more commitment to worker wellness.

 

For example, employees appreciate companies that show concern for their physical health, either by offering an on-site workout facility or reimbursing them for a gym membership.They want their employer to offer educational and career development opportunities to help them build new skills and prepare for advancement. This shows caring for a worker’s intellectual health.

 

Employees also appreciate access to mentors who will help them navigate the challenges of the workplace. Offering such guidance shows that a company sees its workers as more than FTE numbers on a balance sheet. That feeds into the work side of the work-life balance equation, and it makes a person want to stick with a company.

 

 

3. Flexibility is more than just a buzzword. It’s a primary driver of both balance and employee retention.

 

Your workers are smart. They want to excel in all aspects of their lives, and they know how, when, and where they are most productive. That’s why more of them are expecting flexibility. That flexibility may come in different forms for different people.

 

Some people want to work from home one or two days a week, so they can focus on a project without the distractions of the office and push it to completion. Others may want to shift their schedules earlier or later to avoid traffic and take advantage of what they know to be their peak hours of work efficiency.

 

And some may want to create a schedule that makes them available for family activities while still completing all of their business tasks and collaborating with co-workers. Whatever the case may be, such options are vital to balance and can have a direct effect on employee retention.

 

As noted in an article on the Robert Half website, flexibility gives “employees some measure of control over their work schedules, thereby making it easier for them to manage non-job-related responsibilities and maintain work-life balance.”

 

“There’s also a business rationale behind the concept. When it’s easier for employees to deal with pressures on the home front, they are likely to be more productive when they’re on the job—and less inclined to jump ship if one of your competitors offers them a little more money.”

 

These three ideas show why work-life balance is so important to workers today. If you keep them in mind, you should be able to craft policies and programs to help your employees achieve balance, and in turn, strengthen the loyalty that will make them want to stick with you for years to come.