We’ll say it before and we’ll say it again: employees are the reason any company exists or succeeds.
For employees to be truly satisfied with their work, an organization must have a healthy work-life balance. This is where some of our favorite organizational strategies come into play.
These strategies can come in many forms, which we’ll cover further down in this post. However, while each strategy is unique, they’ll all tell you how to improve workplace culture for better long-term employment.
Below, we'll cover strategies such as:
- Employer involvement and support through surveys
- Implementing flexible schedules
- Parental leave policies
- Open lines of communication
1. Showing Support Through Surveys
Are you in a leadership position at your company? If "yes," pay special attention. If "no," then...still pay attention!
At the core of work-life balance are happy employees. When employees feel undervalued or ignored, that will often show up in their performance.
What's more, these negative feelings will typically bleed into how they are able to manage their work.
This is where the first of our organizational strategies come in.
Most frequently run in the form of online surveys, staff can give feedback to management about any given topic related to their workplace. If it's suspected that work-life balance is at stake, that can be a focal point in the employee survey.
These surveys can be in the form of a detailed template, or a customized questionnaire. Whichever choice you make, the feedback will be worth it.
What better way to improve employee outreach than to learn what matters most to them?
The reason these surveys are so effective is that they peek into the mind of the employee.
If a business runs a survey and gets a lot of feedback that they don't prioritize staff a healthy workplace, then changes can be made to fix that issue.
Additionally, employee surveys can also reveal other details that may be related to work-life balance, like the next three topics we’ll be covering.
Watch our video on some of the top benefits of employee surveys:
💡 The Key Takeaway: Employee surveys can yield actionable data when it comes to their work and home life balance. Leadership teams can then use that data to improve employee outreach methods.
Recommended Reading: Using a Third-Party for Employee Surveys
2. Workplace Flexibility
Research has shown that 95% of HR professionals consider staff burnout a top contributing factor to poor employee retention.
And one of the best sure-fire ways to prevent employee burnout is by letting them work where they are most productive.
For context, research has shown that over 40% of employees felt more productive when they could enjoy a flexible schedule.
Gaining mass popularity from COVID-19, working from home has become beloved by many employees across the country.
There are a variety of reasons for this, including:
- Cutting down on the cost of gas
- No commuting in poor weather
- Easier for parents of younger children
Many companies are now asking employees to come into the office at least some of the time, resulting in a hybrid schedule. However, some companies are requiring employees to return full-time. This is where the problem starts.
Employees that are feeling “forced” to be in the office five days a week may begin looking for work elsewhere.
Aside from companies that truly need employees to be physically present, it’s a good idea to implement a hybrid schedule or option for fully remote work.
💡 The Key Takeaway: Implementing a flexible, hybrid schedule is a great move for companies to make (if they can). One of the most important organizational strategies to use, workplace flexibility encourages solid staff production.
3. Consider Parental Policies
This is a big one.
Companies that honor the needs of staff who are parents make more of a difference than you think. While this may be one of the “hottest” topics in this blog, it’s probably the most simple.
Parents need to be on-call for their children, first and foremost. This isn’t saying their work is not important, but employees need to know they can be present for their children, when necessary, without being penalized.
Organizational strategies that prioritize parental leave policies and benefits can be the defining factor for employees looking at jobs. This is why it’s critical that businesses have flexible policies where parenting is concerned.
💡 The Key Takeaway: When companies are sympathetic to the needs of employees’ parental duties, they’re allowing for flexibility and promoting a healthy work-life balance.
4. Make Room for Communication
Talk. That’s all you gotta do.
Allow me to elaborate.
Employees can often feel disillusioned with their work environment because there aren’t enough communication strategies within the office. In fact, lack of communication could be one of the main reasons why employees look for a new job.
So, what can companies do?
They can implement organizational strategies like:
- Regular discussions about workload/s
- Regular meetings about client projects
- Easy-to-use messaging platforms (Google chat, for instance)
- An overall sense of community
The last bullet point could be the most important. When employees feel like they can share thoughts and ask questions, they’re more likely to stick with that company. This, in turn, promotes solid communication throughout all teams.
The types of organizational strategies that focus on communication are often some of the best–consider how they can benefit your company.
💡 The Key Takeaway: Reliable communication is one of the most important aspects of running a successful organization. When all teams are running smoothly, thoughts and ideas can be shared on a regular basis.
Recommended Reading: How (and Why) Organizations Should Improve Employee Wellbeing
Contact Our Employee Satisfaction Company
While these are only some of the examples of organizational strategies out there, each one has a unique way of contributing to a company. By running an employee survey in the first place, leadership teams can see where they’re falling short–and figure out how to fix the issues.
Drive Research is a market research company in New York. Combining years of industry experience, our team of pros can work with your business to craft employee surveys that will deliver the data you need.
Want to know more about our market research services? We want you to! Get in touch with us through any of the ways below.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Lark Allen
As a Content Marketing Specialist, Lark has a strong background and passion for creative, professional, and journalistic writing. She is also a self-proclaimed music freak and 90s enthusiast.
Learn more about Lark, here.
