Promoting work:life balance to potential staff

On average, there are 15,654 jobs posted on Simply Law Jobs every month. So the challenge to make your job advert stand out in a long list of solicitor or lawyer roles, for example, is much greater than ever before.

Over the last few weeks we’ve shared tips on how to improve your job advert, and why including a salary range is essential if you want more job seekers to click through to your listing. Today, we’ll be looking at how discussing elements of work:life balance can be the difference between a candidate clicking and exiting, or applying for your job. 

Employee satisfaction

Almost 30% of the working population are unhappy at work, according to a study conducted by FMP Global. The lack of work:life balance plays a huge part in this. All work and no play, makes for a very exhausted employee. So when job seekers search for a new job, they want to know that their life at work will be more pleasant than what they’re dealing with currently. After all, we spend the majority of our lives working, so finding value and contentment in a job is important to most people.

This is where your job advert comes in. 

Job adverts that convert no longer consist of just the job description. They discuss benefits, perks and working conditions for example – all elements of a more positive working environment, which speaks volumes to job seekers. Being able to provide potential employees with a snapshot of what their life could be like at your company plays a big factor in whether they choose to move jobs or not. If they’re receiving very little work:life balance in their current role, they could get more satisfaction in a job with your business.

So what types of benefits promote a better work:life balance? 

Flexible working hours

With the technology available today, flexible working is an easier, but extremely valuable perk to incorporate. And it’s one of the most talked about benefits that is proven to improve work:life balance. Today, the demand for flexible working has never been higher. Employers are coming around to the idea that we all have lives that are sometimes stressful and jam-packed. Allowing your staff to come and go (within reason) or work from home has been proven to improve other areas of concern to business owners too, including:

• Reduced sickness levels
• A reduction in staff turnover
• Allowing people to work when they accomplish most
• Extended operational hours

Alternative working days

So many businesses still practice the age-old 9 to 5, Monday to Friday routine. However, there have been studies that show that this isn’t the most beneficial process to ensure a happy and productive workforce. Multiple organisations have begun testing four day weeks with longer hours. If you found that doing it this way was more profitable and productive for your business, this could be a perk that speaks volumes to potential applicants. It’s not every day you see a business that works just four days instead of the full working week! Imagine how this would compare against your competitors typical working week…

Health incentives

Prioritising health is important to employees today. Long work hours combined with sometimes lengthy commutes can force employees to take their health for granted. Many businesses now offer a gym membership to help keep their staff moving (particularly if they’re in an office related role). Others offer yoga at lunch. These are great incentives to encourage staff to prioritise health. Actual medical care is also appreciated, whether it’s paying a percentage of employee optical prescriptions or providing them with private healthcare.

Annual leave

In today’s avid travel world, employees are keen to get away for a few days and make their free time count. Offering a competitive amount of annual leave could set you apart from competitors because employees can see an immediate effect of how their life would be better – with more time off. 

Although UK law states that full time workers must receive a minimum of 28 days of paid leave per year, including public holidays, around 2.2 million employees don’t take all of their entitled leave as a result of work commitments – so go the extra mile and push annual leave days to 30, and be passionate about encouraging staff to take leave so they can balance their work and home life. 

Career development

Employees today are ambitious, driven and want to continue learning. Being able to provide opportunities for them to improve will not only allow them to develop their career, but their new honed skills could also impact on your business. It’s very rare that a new employee walks into your office on their first day thinking “I have all the skills I need”. We can all benefit from online courses, events, webinars and other classes to improve our skills, whether it’s something small like public speaking, or improving a bigger priority, like leadership skills. Making these resources available to staff is essential if you want them to keep learning but also stay motivated at work. 

In addition to the above, smaller work perks include:

• Having fruit and other snacks available in your office
• Having games etc. at the office like a pool table, board games, TV and sound system
• Regular staff incentives
• Monthly or quarterly get togethers
• A positive work environment

How does my business benefit from offering these benefits?

By offering more of these benefits to potential employees and staff, you’ll have a much more positive and productive workforce who value their job, a stronger brand reputation and employer brand that attracts new talent easily, and better staff retention. You’ll also see a reduction in employee turnover, which, by the way, costs businesses around £16,000 per employee on average – a cost most businesses can’t keep absorbing.