If you find that you spend a lot of time working, even when you’re at home, it’s time to reevaluate your home and work-life balance. You should be responsible in your job, but it shouldn’t consume all the time you spend at home. 87% of employees expect their employer to help them strike a balance between work and personal obligations. You need to also enjoy your time with your family. Below are some ways to encourage a positive work-life balance.
Establish Your Work Hours
When it comes to working, you need to have the hours that you’re actually working established. This is true if you go into the office or work from home. 50% of Americans visit the dentist every six months. Those who work on a salary often find themselves working beyond their standard work hours, and that is where the balance starts to shift. Have a meeting and see if there are certain hours that you must be working to meet your job requirements. If you have flexibility, make sure you create a schedule and let your boss know when you plan to be working and when you plan to be away from the desk.
Don’t Check Email On Personal Phone
A great way to keep from getting sucked into work at home is to not check your work email on your personal phone. It’s likely that you’ll have your phone at home for other things, but if you can’t pull up your email, you won’t feel like checking it to see what’s going on. You should be having dinner with your family and enjoying them instead of worrying about work tasks.
Stop Notifications
If you have notifications that come on your phone or work tablet, make sure you turn off notifications at certain times. This keeps you from having your interest peaked when you hear the noise go off. Many use this as an accountability factor to keep themselves from doing work when away from the physical office or remote office. Also, make sure you aren’t working in your remote office for other things, as you’ll find yourself wanting to check-in. Separate yourself from the work while at home.
Review Terms of Additional Tasks
If you’ve been given some additional tasks and you already have a large workload, make sure you review the terms. See if this is going to impact how much time you spend with your family and if you should negotiate these terms. If these new tasks are going to impact how much time you spend with your family, you may need to have a conversation with your director. If you have an option to not take the tasks, then you may need to decline.
Take Your PTO Time
Most employers offer paid time off (PTO) and you’re entitled to take it when you need it. Some allow these hours to roll over, and some only have that year to use them. Don’t put yourself in a position where you will lose your time because it expired. Plan out vacations and time off. When you discuss this with your partner, let your boss know when you plan to take your time so they can plan projects around it and you give them ample notice. Also, if you’re sick, you should be staying home. You aren’t going to do anyone any good going into work passing germs around and not being able to work efficiently.
You must take that work-home balance seriously. Your family will also suffer if you decide to not take your time, and you can lose memories that won’t come back again. There are so many reasons to stand up for yourself and make sure you manage this balance moving forward, especially if you haven’t been in the past.
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