The average person spends at least 40 hours of their time at work each week, so it’s a sensible place to start when thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Here are some ideas that will not only improve work/life balance but will also make employees more productive.
Make the most of all your time
We have all had those instances where we’ve been travelling or waiting for a meeting to start and thinking ‘if I was in the office I could be doing X, Y & Z now’. But there are now flexible workspaces available at all sorts of locations to help you maximise your time. We know that flexible working has a significant impact on productivity. Plan effectively so that you can make best use of the facilities around you.
You don’t have to be in the office to be working
It’s amazing how many companies and workers still believe that you have to be seen to be productive. And yet the average UK commuter will spend a year of their life getting to and from work. What’s productive about spending hours on a cramped train or in a traffic jam? Local business lounges offer a great alternative to travelling to the office and working from home. You can avoid the long, uncomfortable commute, and the distractions of home.
Embrace technology
Face to face meetings are unlikely to ever die out, and nor should they; meeting in person is an important part of doing business. However, they are needed less and less, especially now that telephone and video conference calls are prevalent. It’s important to use this technology to the best of your advantage. Before setting up a face-to-face meeting question whether it could be achieved on a telephone or video conference. And don’t worry if you don’t have these facilities at home or your office, they can be found in plenty of flexible workspaces, available nationwide to help you embrace the future of work.
Meetings: think location, location, location
In the event that meeting in person is important, think carefully about where the meeting should take place to maximise everyone’s time and energy. Too often we assume that a meeting must take place in the same boardroom or office. But there are meeting rooms available in a range of locations which might be more convenient.
Promote flexible working practices throughout your organisation
No matter what size of business you work for, you’ll get the most out of flexible working if it’s embraced by everyone. Encourage managers to lead by example so that other staff members understand the importance of flexible working and its impact on productivity. Giving staff flexible working options also shows that you trust them, and by improving their work/life balance will make them more likely to stay with your organisation for longer.
Steve Purdy was appointed to his current role in January 2012. As Managing Director of the UK, Steve is accountable for full profit and loss responsibility, overseeing and managing the growth and development of Regus in the UK. Previously Steve worked for IBM for 6 years, followed by various sales, sales management and general management roles with Lexmark International Ltd spanning 17 years. Included 4 years as General Manager of Lexmark Netherlands / Benelux followed by 5 years as Managing Director of Lexmark UK and Ireland. Steve is a keen golfer and holder of a Guinness World Record for most number of golf balls hit in 12 hours into a target area, to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis.
