APRIL 201919IMPORTANCE OF WORK-LIFE BALANCEBy Atul Gupta, Associate Vice President at Jakson GroupAtul is a Masters in Finance from Latrobe University, Australia and has been promoted to AVP recently from Strategic Head- Finance in the Jakson Group based in NoidaCXO INSIGHTSProper work-life balance ensures both physical and mental wellbeing.What is a work-life balance?Work-Life balance is about separating personal and professional lives without allowing one to intrude upon the other. Both are important and neither should be neglected. It often refers to an employee's ability to maintain a healthy balance between their work roles, their personal responsibilities, and family life. Companies these days are increasingly recognizing the importance of helping their employees to achieve this balance as more staff are experiencing conflict between their work and personal roles. Another factor which is contributing greatly to the difficulty in achieving a work life balance is the changing landscape in how and where employees are expected to work. As more and more companies embrace the technological age and move into globalization, work is no longer restricted to the workplace. Employees can work from almost any location with the use of laptops, tablets, and smart phones; and telecommuting is on the increase. Employees can access work emails and assignments 24/7, meaning that they can also be accessible to employers and clients. Although there are multiple benefits to this flexible working pattern, it can run the risk of blurring the lines between work and personal life.The necessity of maintaining a work-life balance1. To maintain your mental healthNot all employers place enough importance on mental health in the workplace. This can lead to a variety of issues, from stress-related illnesses to depression. This sometimes also leads to "chronic stress." That stress could be caused by a variety of things, from outrageous workloads (and no work-life balance) to simply not feeling valued for the hard work you do.2. To ensure your physical health and wellbeingAnd, as the old adage says: healthy body, healthy mind. So a great way to maintain your mental health is to ensure that you are physically feeling healthy too. That includes regular exercise and eating healthy but also not overdoing it at work!Perhaps money can buy happiness in certain circumstances, but if you spend all of your time working or thinking about work then it's more than likely that it won't. 3. It increases productivityYour company wants employees who are hard-working and productive and staying for unnecessarily long hours at the office might make you feel like you are contributing a lot to the office; however the quality of work is probably worse. Studies reveal that those who maintain a steady work-life balance are much more productive than those who do not. 4. Become a more rounded individualIf your life revolves around work, then you lose a lot of the other positive dimensions that make you attractive to employers (and other Atul Gupta
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