WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Enriching and
augmenting
the balance
Work-life balance is a diurnal effort to make time for family, active participation
in society and the community, spirituality, personal growth, self-care, and other
personal activities, along with the demands of the workplace. - BY URVI ARADHYA

n the corporate race to scale personal and professional lives. along with the demands of the

I large heights, stay ahead of

the competition and make a
mark in the marketplace,
companies often see employees
spending a large part of their day
Work-life balance is a concept
that supports the efforts of people
to split their time and energy
between their personal and
professional life. Work-life balance
workplace.

devoted to work, whether in or
out of the office. This has, over
the years, created a workforce that
feels they are unable to attain the
fine balance between their
is a diurnal effort to make time
for family, active participation in
society and the community,
spirituality, personal growth, self-
care, and other personal activities,
Encouraging schedule
flexibility
The Indian workplace is a dynamic
and a constantly evolving space
that has seen drastic
transformations over the last
decade. The definition itself has
become more fluid, with

58 N March 2016 www.humancapitalonline.com Q


companies encouraging flexible
work hours and several other
alternatives to aid increased
productivity or get more value
from the delivery of each
employee.
Amidst work, one also needs
to balance their lives and family
responsibilities - with precious
little time in between to focus on
anything else. And health is often
then relegated to the lowest rung
on the priority scale.
With such strain on today's
workforce it is important for HR
practitioners and company policy-
makers to frame policies that
allow them to achieve a healthy
work-life balance. This will not
only aid better productivity, it will
also keep your workforce happy,
energized and focused on the job
at hand.
HR today is working closely
with the parameters of outcomes
and productivity.
Importance on 'how' over
'what'
This applies across functions.
How do you brand your product
and company? How do you treat
your employees, and so on. It is
imperative to spend time and
energy to focus on 'how' rather
than just 'what'. Caring about the
finer details when it comes to HR
policies may seem irrelevant,
however, they greatly add to the
overall experience of the
employee and its resultant effect
will be visible in the output. For
us at K Raheja Corp, we have
handpicked the best policies,all of
which are uniquely designed
keeping in mind our workforce,
basis what meets the cultural
requirements of our Company,
while continuously evaluating
'how' it adds value to employee
experience.
Flexible work Culture
Line managers who want to retain
control often do not support
flexible culture. Today's generation
is highly multifaceted, and the
generation that has started
entering the workforce has an
Q www.humancapitalonline.com
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
inherent entrepreneurial spirit in
them. It is hence imperative that
the work culture supports the
same to ensure the best levels of
quality output and long-term
retention.
Wellness at the Work Place
Catering to employee well-being at
work has multiple benefits. It
builds the bond of caring between
the employer and employees and
shows concern that goes beyond
just their work. By providing
workers with these services,
companies are improving wellbeing
and job satisfaction, as well as
raising retention rates. The welfare
of employees has a direct impact
on the success of the company. A
stronger, healthier workplace
means fewer sick days given out.
There will also be a direct change
in the energy levels which will
positively impact productivity.
Respect for working hours
Thanks to technology, work can Urvi Aradhya is the Senior Vice
now be done at any given point of President at K Raheja Corp and
the day, across time zones and carries a corporate experience of 19
places. What this sometimes years. Urvi continually enhances
translates to is that there is no skills through workshops and
real shutting off from work, or training programs across various
tuning out. Emails are configured reputed management development
to phones, so you are more or programmes.
less always accessing work.
Carrying work home is a common
phenomenon, which means you
can work from home if required,
but it also means you would help build a strong
subconsciously check emails on a foundation for the company,
Sunday. As a company, we should attracting most suitable employees
encourage our teams and with better retention.
employees to work smart, use the Human resources has today
available technology to their best, evolved into a business partner,
and also prioritize tasks such that and plays a critical role in helping
the hours at work are utilized an organization retain its
more fruitfully. competitive edge, while remaining
These are some key HR ahead of the curve. It is a
practices that can be applied function responsible for
across the board, in large and understanding organizational pulse
small companies alike - and introducing suitable practices
irrespective of the industry. Many to suit. It is also responsible to
smaller businesses and institutions build a culture which is conducive
do not pay heed to building strong to innovation, becoming agents of
HR practices early on as they feel continuous transformation,
it could be brought in at a later aligning processes and ethos to
stage. However, incorporating improve an organization's capacity
systems and practices early on for change. HC
March 2016 N 59