Work-life balance has always been close to our hearts here at FGS and it’s something we work so hard on giving our employees. We offer our employees flexible working with many of us working three or four days per week. We also pride ourselves on giving employees the flexibility to work from home if necessary or to come in later as we know they will make up the hours elsewhere.
We are almost certain that this is what separates us apart from other employers and what ensures our employees come into work looking forward to the day ahead rather than dreading another slog in the office.
Unfortunately, however, we know that not all employers are like us. Despite the huge movement on flexible working, very few employers offer it and this makes it hard to achieve the work-life balance we strive for.
Striking a balance between work and personal life isn’t easy. After all, we spend most of our adult waking hours working and the word balance insinuates a 50/50 split. Despite not being easy, it’s something that is extremely important to most of us and it is possible.
We all know that those with a better work-life balance feel happier both at work and at home and it is a very strong reason many employers stay with their employer. So how can you improve your work-life balance? We highlight some tips below.
Set boundaries between home and work
It’s important to set clear boundaries between work and home. Try your absolute hardest to leave work at work. If possible, use the journey home to mentally leave work behind. Instead of replying to emails on your phone on the train, put your phone down and pick up a good book instead. When you get home, change out of your work clothes. Just by doing this simple point, you will feel much more able to separate work and home life.
Don’t check your emails in the evening and at weekends
One of the biggest ways of bring work home is to reply to emails and answer phone calls in the evenings and even at weekends. In fact, many employees have done it for so long that they feel their employer comes to expect it so it’s up to you to change it. Turn your phone off and spend time doing something you enjoy doing outside of work. The more boundaries you set on your time, the less co-workers will expect you to respond out of working hours. It might take time but you will see this pattern changing.
Request flexible working
All employees are now able to request flexible working after working for their employer for 26 weeks. This doesn’t necessarily mean reduced hours as this isn’t always an option financially, but it could mean working from home one day a week. You are only allowed to file one formal flexible working request every 12 months so be sure that you feel confident in your application. Present a business case as to why you feel flexible working would benefit you and the business. This could be reduced overheads to save the company money or time saved commuting to be used more effectively.
Lastly, we want to leave you with a quote from a business man we admire, Richard Branson. ‘Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients’ This quote rings so true to us.
FGS Recruitment is a boutique recruitment agency specialising in recruiting sales and marketing jobs in our core markets of Digital Media, Learning & Development and Market Research. Keep up to date with our latest career advice articles and jobs by signing up to our newsletter and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.