National Work Life Week brings work life balance to the fore - Portsmouth expert from ActionCOACH gives his top tips to businesses

National Work Life Week, organised by Working Families, the UK's work-life balance charity, is an opportunity for both employers and employees to think about wellbeing at work.

It said that recent research has found that work-life balance was hailed as more important than salary for two thirds of Brits.

Steve Mullins, a business growth specialist at ActionCOACH Portsmouth, shared his advice to business owners and their teams on how they can achieve a great work-life balance.

He said this was especially important as more businesses move toward flexi-working following the pandemic.

He said: ‘Start by listening. Use a confidential survey where staff feel free to tell you exactly how happy they are with their current work-life balance.

‘Ask for their opinions on their top three barriers to switching off from work and what most affects their wellbeing at work. Knowing this will help you provide an effective range of solutions for your team to tap into.

‘Then extend the sense of support. Especially in today’s world, many employees dedicate their lives to their jobs and, more often than not, this can impact their personal lives.

‘As an employer, it’s your responsibility to ensure that their downtime is kept exactly that. Encouraging them to practise activities such as a 15-minute shutdown at the end of the working day will help them to feel released from the work mindset, boosting productivity, motivation for tomorrow and a general feeling of accomplishment.’

He also recommends businesses set up stress relieving team building activities such as pub lunches, escape rooms and spa days.

He also said that firms should be conscious of ‘burn out.’

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Steve added: ‘If you’re worried about taking quality time away from work, imagine if you were forced to stop working because of burnout. So, provide a system for your staff to handover work during holiday time or shared shift patterns so they know they can switch off and recharge knowing the work isn’t stacking up while they are away.

‘And finally, take care of your own wellbeing. Don’t forget, to be the best leader, your wellbeing must be looked after too. It’s important to take time out and practise what you preach to your team.’

ActionCOACH Portsmouth has free advice events throughout the year on how to grow business, create happy teams and make an impact on your local community.