Making Workplace Homeplace

We all want to have a workplace stress free, welcoming and comfortable. It is really tough to bridge a balance between work and personal life. In fact juggling between so many activities and having a healthy life becomes a huge task in itself.

With world economy at the brink of rigorous ups and downs, there is always a risk of losing skilled employees. Hence it becomes top priority for the companies to have stress free and happy employees so that their efficiencies do not get affected and deliverables are achieved timely. This in turn enhances the performance of the companies. Several case studies had proved that companies offering such practices have high retention, satisfied employees and positive work attitude.

Companies use variety of approaches to inject friendly environment at workplace. However there is no right way of doing so as it varies from company to company and really depends upon individuals and leaders. The right culture mix for your company will likely emerge after experimentation and input from employees.

Colgate-Palmolive tops Forbes’s list of the 25 best big companies in the world for work-life balance. Founded in 1806, the New York-based consumer products giant currently employs over 35,000 workers. As per the employees, the company sets realistic goals and offers some great benefits, such as flexible work hours, telecommute options, and nearby back-up childcare centers, which is a nice perk for work-at-home parents. As a result, has a high rate of employee retention.

Walt Disney is recognized for their focus on training and team building, as well as the happiness of their employees. And Google is known for “promoting flexible schedules and personal and professional balance, where employees learn how to manage their time, multitask and collaborate.”

A number of companies offer work/life balance perks including flex time, daily workouts, on-site showers, and even stipends for fitness memberships and activities. Incorporating fun element is a vital thing. Having “town-hall” meetings and sharing success stories, company growth and giving an opportunity of Q&A to all employees builds in more focus in achieving the set goal.

Today salary is not the only thing attracting potential skill however company culture increases the worth of the company. Overall if the work environment is friendly, there is a perfect balance o quality and quantitative work directing company towards set goals.

Few take aways that ensure satisfied employee retention:

• ·         Having policies like “work life balance”
• ·         Adequate vacation time so that employees are not working while on holidays. Does not do much good
• ·         Flexibility of timings till all deliverables are getting met
• ·         Provide on site child care facilities so that newly turned moms and dads can work stress free
• ·         Paternity leaves are really important
• ·         Having mentor program so as to ensure employees are focused on improving areas
• ·         Investing in employees by offering various trainings and seminars
• ·         Getting regular employee surveys is a great way of finding out how they feel about workplace and what all improvements are required