Work-Life-Balance:

How to support your employees with sports programs

December 19, 2023 - 5 minutes read time

It's 7.05 pm. You've just got home from work. On the way home, you've done your shopping and now you're standing in the kitchen. A spoon in one hand, your phone in the other - replying to a last-minute email. And while you're typing, it's sizzling in the pan. All done. The message has been sent and there’s a good chance the food has been burnt.

We've probably all been in situations like this. Balancing work and private life is not always easy. The boundaries become blurred too quickly. And in these moments we realize how important a healthy work-life balance is.

What to expect from this article

This article gives you all the key information about work-life balance and shows you how you can best support your employees in achieving it. Also find out about the importance of company fitness and how sports programs can help your employees maintain this balance.

Content

• Defining Work-Life-Balance

• Understanding Work-Life-Balance as an employer

• How to help your team maintain balance

• Recap

Defining Work-Life-Balance

Work-life balance is defined as the harmonization of work and private life. This means that both areas are equally well balanced and that all employees' needs can be met as far as possible.

A good work-life balance promotes the general satisfaction of employees and helps to compensate for stress at work. It also creates a clear separation between work and home - this helps employees switch off after office hours and at weekends. By promoting this balance, your team will be more motivated, happier and more satisfied. In the long run, companies can also counteract burnout and boreout through this.

In order to be satisfied long-term, employees should therefore make sure they maintain this balance. This can be achieved by actively unwinding after work, working less overtime, setting clear priorities and successful time management. And how can companies contribute to this?

Understanding Work-Life-Balance as an employer

The majority of employees today realize that they are no longer solely responsible for the balancing act of work-life balance. Nowadays, talent expects companies to create the right conditions in the workplace.

We have gathered a few facts for you:

• For the first time in 2022, flexible working options and work-life balance are among the top 3 career preferences (Randstad Workmonitor 2022).

• In 2023, 59 % of respondents would choose unemployment over a job that would disrupt their work-life balance. (Randstad Workmonitor 2023).

• This condition is particularly pronounced among high potentials on the market - 18 to 34-year-olds (ibid).

• In another survey, 85 % stated that their well-being is just as important to them as their salary.

If employees have no opportunity to find a balance outside of work, their well being and satisfaction will deteriorate. In the long term, this leads to negative attitudes at work, boreout or even burnout. This is why companies are being called upon to cater to the needs of their teams.

However, companies can do more than just reduce the turnover rate through active promotion. After all, 45% of employees in 2023 (Randstad Workmonitor 2023) said they would quit their job if it made them unhappy. Caring about needs also puts the company in a more attractive position on the recruitment market. Keyword: Employer branding. By promoting the work-life balance of employees, companies not only help out, but also create an attractive option for job seekers.

How to help your team maintain balance

The answer is simple: create opportunities. In order to support the work-life balance and therefore the wellbeing of your team, employees need to be offered opportunities that help them achieve this. Corporate benefits play a particularly important role. However, choosing the right benefits always depends on the needs of your team. In order to encourage work-life balance, you first need to understand the needs.

Based on Maslow's pyramid of needs, we can categorize our needs in the world of work into four important cornerstones.

The 4 most important needs

1. Health

Our health comes first, it is the only way we can function. It forms the basis. If our basic needs are met and our mental and physical health is promoted, we can do our job successfully. Discover myClubs corporate fitness now.

2. Safety

If the job provides financial security, we can work without worrying about money. It also provides stability and a fixed focal point in life. Over 60% rate work as "important or very important" in their lives (Randstad Workmonitor 2023).

3. Belonging

As social creatures, we strive for contact. Social interaction in the office and good team building create connections and a sense of belonging.

4. Individuality

Achievement and goals are important for self-actualisation and our need for a sense of purpose. If these are recognised and promoted at work, we are more motivated and strive harder.

Corporate Fitness: The Benefit-Allrounder

You are now aware of the four most important needs of your team and the importance of work-life balance in today's working world. It's time to choose the right benefit. And we'll make your search easy! Because there is one benefit that covers all your team's needs: Corporate Fitness.

4 reasons why flexible sports memberships are the best offer

Corporate fitness is truly a benefit all-rounder. It helps with health promotion, the need for social interaction and can support self-realization.

• Health Promotion: Regular exercise keeps you fit and healthy and helps to promote physical health in the long term. Sport also improves mental well-being. It reduces stress, helps us to think more clearly and makes us self-confident and happy.

• Retention: A good job brings security. If employees are happy with their employment, they are more willing to stay on the team in the long term. By offering the right benefits, you also promote employee retention.

• Socializing: Training together promotes team building (more on this here). We come into contact with our colleagues and have the opportunity to socialize with each other.

• Purpose: In addition to the job, sport also fosters a sense of achievement. In sport, we set ourselves goals and the fulfillment of these goals not only makes us happy, but also proud.

Flexible sports programs, such as the Corporate Fitness offer from myClubs, create the perfect balance for your team. Whether it's yoga, boxing, tennis or swimming:Your team can switch off before or after work with a myClubs workout. Over 1,600 sports providers in Austria and Switzerland make the choice more flexible than with any other fitness provider.

Recap

Work-life balance has become a buzzword in today's working world. It contributes to employee satisfaction and well-being and is therefore more important than ever. Satisfied employees not only feel better overall, but also like to stay with the company for longer. It also shows that it is not only employees who are responsible for achieving a healthy work-life balance, but that companies also need to provide support. The targeted promotion of work-life balance by offering benefits creates a win-win situation for both parties. Sport as a fringe benefit for employees proves to be a suitable offer in many respects, covering all needs.

Continue reading

• How to successfully team-build in the age of hybrid work