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Call us on 0800 222 733How does work fit in with your life?
How well do you balance your job with your life outside work? Do you find time to spend with family and friends, and time for your hobbies, or does work always come first? Find out how you can get a better split between your job and the other aspects of your life.
What is work-life balance?
- Spending time with your family is part of keeping a work-life balance
"Work-life balance is about the interaction between our paid work and other activities, including unpaid work in families and the community, leisure, and personal development.
"Work-life balance is about creating a productive work culture where the potential for tensions between work and other parts of people's lives is minimised. This means having appropriate employment provisions in place, and organisational systems and supportive management underpinning them.
"Work-life balance for any one person is having the 'right' combination of participation in paid work (defined by hours and working conditions), and other aspects of their lives. This combination will not remain fixed, but may change over time."
Source: State Services Commission, 'Work-Life Balance: A Resource for the State Services', March 2005.
How do you know if your work-life balance isn't right?
Getting the right ratio of work to other activities in your life can be a challenge. Have a look at the list below and think about your own situation. Are you:
- working long hours, varied hours and rotating shifts?
- working at night?
- working hours in your own time?
- taking your laptop home, just in case you have a spare minute?
- taking your laptop to bed with you?
- taking your cellphone to bed, on holiday, out on the boat?
- taking work with you on holiday?
If you answered yes to most of the questions above, you may be overworked or trying to juggle too many things. Take time to reflect on what small things you can do to put more balance into your life.
Striking a balance between work and family
“I used to find it hard not to take stuff home and this was because I found it hard to start things and then not finish them. Now if I don’t finish things, I just don’t finish them. My baby is more important than my job, but my job is key for our survival. So it’s a vital balance to strike.”
Carla Russell, Event Manager
How will you know when you've a good balance?
Generally, you know you have a good work-life balance when you:
- have a sense of control in your work and life
- have a strong sense of achievement from work and life
- gain enjoyment from everyday life.
Not sure if you've got the right balance between work and the rest of your life? Use the tools below to help you work out what activities are taking up most of your time, and to help you think over your priorities.
What can you do if work is taking over too much of your time?
If you recognise that something is wrong - don’t ignore it! It won’t go away. Check out the tips below.
Decide what is most important to you
Sometimes we become so busy that we forget what is important to us. It’s a good idea to step back and take some time to have a good look at the quality of your life.
Ask yourself:
- Which areas of my life are the most important? Do I spend as much time as I’d like on these areas?
- Am I getting enough leisure time?
- Am I spending enough time with the people who are important to me?
- Do I look after myself? Do I eat well, give myself some quiet time, and keep fit?
Simplify your life
- Check out your time management – can you make changes?
- You may not be working too many hours, but you may be trying to do too much in the free hours you have. Are there steps you can take to free up some of those busy hours at home? Are you able to ask for help with some chores?
- If you are too tired to talk to people in the evening, don’t answer your phone, and ignore those texts coming through.
Look after yourself
- Take time every day to do something you love.
- Say “no” sometimes.
- Recognise when you are getting stressed, and develop techniques to manage your stress levels.
- Ask for help if you need it - your colleagues, employer, business partner and family members may all be able to help.
- Can your work patterns change? Can you work more flexible hours?
The employer's role in helping workers find work-life balance
Employers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance and economic benefits of maintaining healthy and happy staff.
- Negotiate your hours with your employer so you can spend more time with the kids
There are many different ways that employers can help workers find good work-life balance. It makes sense for employers to encourage employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance, as it is a win-win situation for both parties.
Employers can help their workers achieve better work-life balance by letting them:
- have access to a phone and/or phone messages
- have minor variations in start and finish times
- choose their own lunch break
- use sick/domestic leave to look after family members
- choose, have input into, or change rosters or shifts
- have extra unpaid leave, or be able to buy or negotiate extra annual leave
- choose how many hours they work (such as part-time hours)
- have access to a shower (for use after lunchtime sport or the gym)
- regularly or occasionally work from home.
If you think your employer could help you get a better work-life balance, talk to them about putting in place some of these ideas.
"New research shows New Zealand employers are genuinely trying to provide their staff with flexibility at work. The Department of Labour study, ‘Work-Life Balance in New Zealand’, demonstrates that employers are viewing work-life balance as an increasingly important business issue."
Phil O'Reilly, CEO. Business NZ
Find out more
Other websites
- Department of Labour website - find out more about work-life balance and how to get it
- Department of Labour website - work-life balance: a snapshot of employee and employer attitudes
- NZ Herald website - dads face workplace plan balancing act
- State Services Commission website - work-life balance: a resource for the state services