The Importance of Work-Life Balance

The balance between work and home is a subject usually reserved for HR, but is becoming increasingly popular topic with job seekers. The phrase work life balance is often carries the stigma of working moms who balance soccer practice, piano recitals, maternity leave and a career. This stigma is undeserved for a number of reasons, but realistically, everyone requires a balance to strike between home and work.

Striking a balance means something different to everyone. To some, it’s flexible working hours. This is especially true for night owls and early risers. This adds validity to the benefits, as many do their best work at night or early in the morning – very convenient for IT personnel who have to implement patches or make changes during off-peak times.  Flexible working hours is an incredibly powerful tool for candidates who are on the fence about an offer, or in bringing passive candidates over from elsewhere. But to take that a step further, it also increases productivity for the company and helps to recruit talent from the top down.

Work-life balance doesn’t mean only different working hours. Telecommuting is an equally viable option, and studies show the overwhelming majority would rather work from home. Like flex hours, it increases productivity. People who work remotely take fewer breaks and are less likely to resign. This also helps you get the professionals you’re looking for, since happier workers are better workers.

The final aspect of balancing work and life is culture. Business cultures vary widely, but the wrong culture can cause problems, even for qualified professionals. Employees with a starkly contrasting mindset can decrease morale and cause friction between employees. Even after it’s established that they’re not a good fit, it can be difficult, costly, and time consuming to let them go – especially if they’re producing. The high cost of turnover is one reason it is imperative to find someone with the right mentality and right skills the first time.

And that’s where we step in. During our interview process, we carefully ascertain soft skills as well as the hard skills. We learn the candidates to determine what “jobview” they have, enabling us to create lasting career opportunities for IT professionals and companies alike, rather than filling empty slots. Contact us today for a consultation to see how we can benefit your business in a way that no other IT staffing company can.