The balance between our private and professional life does not always seem to find favor in our eyes. But how do we go about finding a real balance between our professional activity and our free time?

First of all, a quick look at what is the famous "work-life balance"?

This balance allows the employees of a company to have a good ratio between work and free time. This stability would ensure maximum happiness in the daily life of employees. This concept is more commonly known as "work life balance".

A balance becomes bad when the employee spends his or her life at work while neglecting family, friends or even personal activities. The causes are mainly too high workloads, as well as possibly too much pressure, leading employees to spend more time at work and not being able to relax when they get home.

So how can we improve this all-important work-life balance?

Here are a few tips to find a beautiful harmony:

1 - Communicating with your manager/teams:

As far as possible, do a review at least once a month with your manager and/or the teams in order to give the floor to the subjects which seem important to you such as the time spent, the workload, the stress level, the satisfaction of the management, the elements to be improved or the processes to be kept.

Raising awareness about psycho-social risks and quality of life at work seems to be an interesting topic to address at monthly meetings in order to prevent employees from starting to be regularly absent or arriving late.

Once again, caring and listening are the keys to the well-being of all employees.

2 - The manager must be responsible for the working hours

During the job interview and when signing the employment contract, you and your employer agreed on a time slot (e.g. 40 hours per week, from 9 am to 6 pm with a one-hour lunch break). On your first day, don't hesitate to remind your manager, who should be aware of this.

However, it is also up to the employee to manage his or her working hours according to the workload. To succeed in this mission, a manager can support employees in the management of their working time by giving, for example, an appropriate volume of tasks. If necessary, it is possible to offer training to help employees master digital tools to enable them to be more productive in their daily tasks.

3 - Organize your working time efficiently

Learn to prioritize tasks in your day. The day before, make a "to-do list" according to the priorities to be managed and taking into account your workload for each of them.

If an emergency comes up, no worries, take it into consideration, but put off the last task of the day until the first task of the next day.

You also need to set up fixed work hours for yourself. If you work from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., make sure you accomplish your tasks within this time limit and make sure you don't go overboard. The goal is to stay in a routine, always adjustable, but well supervised. And this should not be a problem for your hierarchy since this is initially what is written on your contract.

Finally, you should know that you can say no to your manager. Indeed, if your day is already full and you know that the slightest emergency to manage could upset your schedule and cause delays, you can refuse this last task by informing your manager of your inability to perform it. Of course, keep it friendly, dialogue and common sense. If it is an emergency, adapt. However, for a non-priority task, discuss it with your manager.

4 - Use telecommuting

In order to manage your private and professional life more serenely, opt for the advantages of teleworking. Whenever possible, with the agreement of your manager and under conditions established in advance.

Being a telecommuter will allow you to stay home longer and manage daily tasks in parallel on your break time. This saves a lot of time and reduces stress.

5 - Learn to disconnect, take care of yourself

Once your work day is over, do what you really enjoy. Whether it's a sport, art, cooking, having a drink with friends or just hanging out with a book, do what's right for you. It will help you disconnect and you will be more effective the next day at work.

If you are a stressed out, anxious person, you can do meditation, yoga, breathing exercises or stretching. Your body and mind will thank you.

Also, don't forget to take time off. Going on vacation is a right and you won't be fired just because you took a vacation day (well, normally!). Going somewhere that is important to you to discover and see new things will be good for you and your efficiency when you return to work.

As you can see, having a good work-life balance requires good communication with your managers and your team, but also listening to your needs and your body.

This will benefit everyone.

If you have any questions about how to implement actions, we will be happy to discuss this with you.

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Sophie Fromont
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I am Sophie, Account Manager at Les Pitchous. I have a passion for digital, marketing and art, and tried my hand at several jobs before I really found my way.

I also thrive on travel. After living in different countries, I settled in Canada, in Montreal. Adapting to a new environment stimulates me on a daily basis and pushes me forward. 

I have been enriched by all these different experiences and cultures and today I can say that I have grown and been enriched by these beautiful experiences. That's all I can wish you, and also to be happy. Because life is more beautiful when you are happy!