In the present context balancing work and life might come across as an impossible feat as technology and progress in the work culture has made workers accessible around the clock. The compounding stress from the never-ending workday is damaging. It can hurt relationships, health and overall happiness.
We might think this issue might not be a significant problem in the agro business, but when it comes to workers in a workplace, it’s all the same. For the majority of the people involved in the agriculture industry, prioritizing work-life balance can be a hectic business with the traditional work ethics. Industry where hard work is a matter of pride, a poor work-life balance is expected and is sure to discourage potential recruits, which can be a strain on employees and employers alike.
Following are some points you can look into to soak the benefits of work-life and imply them within your organization if you are lacking.
Communication
Communication is the key factor when it comes to establishing a healthy relation between employers and employees. Building a habit of to and fro communication helps to gather feedback about what is working out and what is not in the workfield.
Not only that, healthy communication also helps in maintaining transparency which ultimately makes employers much more approachable. Once recruiters start talking, in no time the conversation is going to be two ways.
After eliminating the communication gap among your workforce, it will be a lot easier to spot signs of exhaustion, which later can be problematic.
Reviewing Workload
As the number of workforce is limited and harvest can’t wait, it can be quite overwhelming to find the best approach to lighten the workload. It is important to keep in mind that doing the job well is more important than getting the job done.
To take a load off of employees, allocating the achievable workload is crucial. While you are taking your time to review the workload, it’s better to remember these methods:
1. Implement mandatory cut-off times
2. Encourage communication
3. Rotate shifts
4. Offer flexible options
Look For the sign of Burnout
While workers from all industries tend to experience stress, it is important not to let a snowball of stress lead to blizzards of burnout. Unlike other industries, agriculture naturally demands a high level of hard work and commitment, which can generate a huge amount of stress.
To reduce the burnout to bare minimum, employers must take time to figure out the signs of stress, which benefits not only your employees’ wellbeing, but is sure to improve your overall productivity.
Evaluate What the Company has to Offer
Competent salary is not only what the company must offer their employees. As an employer, you need to think about the benefits and perks to keep the workforce motivated. You are competing not only with a similar business as yours but against other industries as well.
Yes, the employees must be compensated justly according to their labor, but motivation comes more from factors like surprise events, spontaneous treats and more. For example, according to a study, employees were found the most motivated when they were presented with free pizza at work in comparison to when they were provided with money or a day’s paid leave.
It is a tough industry to create room for work life balance but it is also crucial to understand, neglecting work life balance is damaging for both sides in the long run.