Flip the work-life switch to ensure workers and business stay happy

Workplace health is a growing global concern as change places employees under huge strain.

Author Angela Lockwood.

Workplace health is a growing global concern as the pace of change, constant connectivity and increasing workloads place employee health under strain as individuals try to keep up.

A poll last year by the Society for Human Resource Management found burnout was one of the most significant reasons individuals left their job, often seeking employers who offered opportunities for a better work-life balance.

The feeling of constantly being switched on at work and home is quickly becoming a concerning reality for most employees and its effects are being felt throughout society, as individuals look for ways to help manage expectations and priorities at work and home.

With working environments varying greatly, organisations are being expected to consider the personal situations and needs of their staff alongside the needs of the business, and make adjustments to hours, workloads and ­positions to cater for this.

Monash University was awarded the 2016 Global Healthy Workplace in recognition of its Wellbeing at Monash program, developed to support staff to adopt healthy lifestyle practices.

The program takes a holistic approach to health by providing programs on mindfulness and stress, quit-smoking support and physical activity classes.

There is no doubt that promoting healthy work practices benefits organisations and individuals.

Encouraging employees to switch off from work benefits the organisation through reduced absenteeism, fewer injury-related insurance claims, and less internal workplace conflict because of happier employees.

For the individual, adopting switch-off behaviours results in higher motivation for work, an improved sense of wellbeing and a sharper focus on productivity. The solutions are simple but the pay-offs are significant. It is estimated that healthy employees are three times more productive than their less healthy co-workers and are eight times more likely to be engaged when wellness is promoted as a priority in the workplace.

With constant connectivity, work-life integration tends to blur the lines of accountability.

Who is responsible for an individual’s health and wellbeing, the employee or the employer?

Is the employer obliged to ensure staff are physically and mentally in shape? Or is it primarily the employee’s personal responsibility to ensure they are fit to do the work?

What employees do outside of work affects productivity at work. Equally, workload and workplace conditions affect how an individual is able to engage in activities outside of work.

Workplace health, wellbeing and fatigue management policies are usually adopted by larger companies with the resources for such programs. But it is important for all organisations, no matter their size, to prioritise healthy practices in the workplace.

The responsibility to leave work behind lies with the individual, to create positive health habits and work boundaries that allow them to switch off, while it is the organisation’s responsibility to ensure the workplace facilitates positive work practices and optimal health for its employees.

Encouraging positive health behaviour within the workplace benefits everyone. Learning how to flick the switch between work and home will create a more productive, satisfied and healthy workforce, with the stamina to take us into the future.

Angela Lockwood is the author of Switch Off: How to Find Calm in a Noisy World and The Power of Conscious Choice.