When the Covid–19 pandemic engulfed the world, companies adopted a work–from–home model. This new normal looked like a boon at first. However, it became increasingly apparent that employees spent more than the stipulated nine hours a day attending to their work responsibilities, and their work–life balance began to diminish. And although offices have opened up again, most employees have forgotten the importance of work–life balance. This article explains the benefits and significance of work–life balance. They are as under:

• Maintaining work–life balance is integral to your mental health

  Corporate responsibilities in the modern age go beyond spending hours with our eyes glued to the computer. Attending to client calls, completing assignments, fulfilling unrealistic deadlines, etc., can increase your stress levels and cause burnout. These factors, in turn, lead to mental health issues like anxiety, insomnia, depression, and fatigue, and even decrease productivity. Thus, it is necessary to clock out on time and spend the remaining hours of the day doing something that enriches your mental well–being.

• Being a workaholic can impact your physical health

  Being too overworked can also lead to physical ailments. Some of these physical health issues could be induced by the mental stress you may put on yourself to meet deadlines. Stress can cause chronic pains and heart troubles. Workaholics also often complain of other physical health issues like carpal tunnel syndrome, increased risks of high blood pressure, and heart diseases, attributed to the sedentary lifestyle that causes these conditions.

• Work–life balance decreases your ability to be present

  When you are too overworked, you often find it challenging to be present in one place. While at work, you may wonder whether you attended to your family’s needs. Similarly, at home, your mind could be occupied thinking about the emails you need to send out and preparing the deck you need to present to your clients. A cluttered mind can affect your productivity, and you may end up not doing either one of your jobs adequately. But the benefit of a good work–life balance is that it allows you to be mindful of the job at hand, whether at home or in the office and carry out that job effectively.

Once you recognise the importance of work–life balance and separate your personal and professional life, you will find yourself being more productive and less burned out at work. Here’s what you can do:

• Take short breaks during work hours
• Get some exercise or pace around a little to clear your mind
• Utilise your personal time off and take holidays
• Clock out on time and don’t make overtime a habit
• Use the weekends to do things you like and spend some quality time with your loved ones

While it is critical to understand the significance of work–life balance, it is just as essential to ensure we take the necessary steps to invest in health insurance. Most employers provide group health insurance plans that cover their employees and their immediate family members. You can also enhance the group health insurance plans to get higher sums insured and coverage.