The most popular work-life balance benefit you’re not offering

We partnered with Quantum Workplace, a leading workplace survey and employee feedback technology company, to find out exactly what motivates employees to be their best. We analyzed feedback from nearly 2,000 survey responses to produce the report “Workplace Well-Being: Provide Meaningful Benefits to Energize Employee Health, Engagement, and Performance.” Check out our top level findings. 

There’s no silver bullet for true work-life balance. Because every employee has a different view of what the split means to them, employers can only do so much to foster a productive culture that allows for balance. Here’s what we found when we dove in to what this really means for employees and employers.

Employees are more than 20 percent more engaged when they have the right amount of balance between their work and personal life.

The work-life balance benefits employees want the most: more flexibility.

Nearly 75 percent of employees want flexible work hours yet only 45 percent of employers offer them. Moreover, 70 percent of employees want the ability to work remotely but only 32 percent provide this benefit.

Having more flexibility (either through flexible hours or the option to work remotely) gives employees the freedom to manage their time in a way that works best for them. It’s also better for you business and engagement levels. We found that employees are 18 percent more engaged when provided flexible hours and 14 percent more engaged when provided the opportunity to work remotely.

What do I do?

If you decide to offer employees flexible hours and the opportunity to work remotely, you’ll need to trust your employees are working when they say they are. Here are some DOs and DON’Ts to help you with this transition:

• DO make an effort to increase personal connection with remote employees. For example, video chat instead of sending an email.
• DON’T investigate the time they’re putting in unless you notice a change in performance.
• DO encourage remote employees to stop by your headquarters on a regular basis.
• DON’T cut remote employees out of your wellness program. Here are six ways to reach remote employees.

If you want to learn more about the current state of employee well-being and engagement, download the full report, including resources for building a successful employee engagement program.