Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance refers to the level of prioritisation between personal and professional activities in an individual’s life and the level to which activities related to their job are present in the home.

Work-life balance is a topical issue due to the increased amount of technology that removes the importance of physical location in defining the work-life balance. Previously it was difficult or impossible to take work from home and so there was a clear line between professional and personal.

Stress is a common feature of a poor work-life balance. In the information economy mental stress has been identified as a significant economic and health problem, causing by a perceived need of employees to do more in less time.

A key issue in the work-life balance debate is where responsibility lies for ensuring employees have a good work-life balance. The general feeling is that employers have a responsibility to the health of their employees; apart from the moral responsibility, stressed-out employees are less productive and more likely to make errors.

In other words, The idea of work-life balance is to attain overall well-being by recognizing and balancing the demands of one’s personal and professional lives. In order to avoid excessive stress or burnout, it entails devoting time and attention to several facets of life, including work, family, health, social activities, and personal hobbies. Establishing boundaries, efficiently allocating time, and achieving a balanced work-life balance are crucial in promoting a happier, healthier way of living.

Wellness Programs

A wellness program is a comprehensive health initiative designed to maintain or improve well-being through proper diet, exercise, stress management, and illness prevention. Wellness programs can include smoking cessation, weight loss education, fitness challenges, therapy, and many other plans designed to increase the overall health of an individual. In the past, wellness programs were offered by primary care physicians and insurance companies. However, there has been a growing trend for companies to develop workplace wellness programs for their employees.

Workplace wellness programs not only fight the upward trend of unhealthy employees, but also decrease medical care costs and insurance premiums. Employers can provide information in a variety of formats, such as wellness videos, pamphlets, health-related quizzes, and bulletin boards.

According to The American Institute for Preventative Medicine, 91% of today’s organizations have a health and wellness program, compared to 78% a decade ago. Workplace wellness program may also include incentives to encourage employee participation.

Wage Drift

Wage drift refers to a difference between the salary negotiated by a company and the one that is actually paid to an employee by the end of the work period, be it monthly or weekly. Wage drift usually occurs when a company has the un-predicted demand and needs its workers to put in extra work hours. The workers, naturally, receive overtime compensation for this and accumulate a difference over their based negotiated salary over a period of time. This phenomenon mostly occurs in areas or industries where demand is highly unpredictable on a short-term basis, like tourism or high-growth economies.

In other words, wage drift is a term used to describe a situation where an employee’s actual wage or salary exceeds the agreed-upon or contractual wage. It often occurs when employees receive pay increases that are not formally documented or when they earn extra income through bonuses, overtime, or other forms of compensation.