How to Achieve Work-Life Balance When Doing Shift Work

If the time you spend accomplishing great things at work matches the time you spend enjoying activities away from work, you’re likely to have work-life balance. In addition to experiencing lower levels of stress, you’re probably experiencing a healthier amount of personal well-being as a result.

To achieve a better work-life balance, shift workers should first decide on a shift that works best with their desired lifestyle. Then you’d be able to make the most of your free time while staying happy and productive at work. 

If your current job isn’t cutting it with the balance you need, Liberty Staffing Services can help. Connect with us today to find shift work with flexible work schedules, manageable hours, fair compensation, and job satisfaction that together enable a good work-life balance.

Why Work-Life Balance is So Important

Because the work culture in Canada prioritizes work-life balance, most people look for ways to maintain a healthy symmetry between their home lives and their work lives.

Yet over the past 20 years, 60% of Canadian employees have reported high levels of role overload, a state where work and family demands are so great, they become incompatible and conflict with one another. Role overload makes it difficult to feel great about either aspect of your life, and the consequences are far-reaching, according to a study by Health Canada.

Compared to employees with low role overload, those with high role overload are 12 times more likely to experience high levels of burnout, five times more likely to leave their jobs to prioritize personal and family time, and twice as likely to have received medical care for work-related illness. Only half are likely to have a positive view of their jobs or report high levels of job satisfaction—as well as life satisfaction.

However, when allowed a better work-life balance, two-thirds of working Canadians (65%) say they were able to achieve it—and are happier with all aspects of their lives as a result.

How to Choose a Work Shift That Works Best for You

Your work shift impacts a variety of factors essential for your good health, well-being, and job satisfaction. Here are a few to consider.

Which Shift Appeals to You Most?

Write down your personal obligations and daily routines that you’d like to keep as a shift worker. If you want to reserve afternoons after school to spend time with your kids, perhaps a 9 to 5 job isn’t for you. If you function best during morning hours, or you’re a night owl and feel energized later in the day, choose a shift that supports your best times to get stuff done.

Which Shift Meets Your Financial Goals?

Consider what you’d like to earn during your career. Maintaining a flexible work schedule can help improve your earnings over time. For instance, if you work nights or weekends for awhile, you may be able to earn more than working standard business hours for your entire career.

Which Shift Helps You Avoid Burnout?

A shift that encourages a healthy work-life balance will not only help you with burnout, but your family and your employer will likely benefit as well. When you work a shift that allows you to get enough sleep, maintain a healthy diet and regular exercise, and focus on good mental health, you will be in the best position to succeed—both at work and in life.

Tips for Achieving Work-Life Balance

Set Goals

People who work toward achieving personal and professional goals often improve their overall happiness and fulfillment in life. A goal of maintaining a better work-life balance compels you to strategize ways to get what you want faster. You’ll be able to identify the conditions you need and prioritize the actions it takes to succeed.

Be Sensible About Keeping Work and Home Separate

A healthy lifestyle requires a balance between work life and home life. Knowing the boundaries between the two will make a difference in the way you handle things that occur naturally. For instance, silence your work phone when you’re spending time with family or friends. Make a do-not-disturb plan with family members for when you’re at work.

Understand Effective Time Management at Work

Strive to supersize your productivity during work hours so business projects don’t spill over into your personal time. If your workload seems unmanageable, find ways to pare down tasks so it doesn’t affect your mental and physical well-being.

Use Stress Relief Techniques

Everybody feels stress or anxiety at some time in their lives, both personally and professionally. Stress relievers like regular exercise and pursuing hobbies outside of work as well as sticking to a well-developed work schedule and planning detailed meeting agendas can help you control your emotions more effectively.

Liberty Staffing: Southern Ontario's Award-Winning Independent Agency

Are you ready to improve your work-life balance? Talk to Liberty Staffing. We offer temporary, temporary-to-permanent, and permanent roles as well as quality flexible shift work at factories, warehouses, industries, and offices across Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener/Waterloo, London, Stratford, and Woodstock, Ontario. Our experts have been helping people find meaningful work and a much better work-life balance for 25 years!