How IT staff augmentation improves work-life balance for your developers?

Let’s explore how IT staff augmentation improves work-life balance for your software development team. We will dive into what work-life balance is. Moreover, we will provide you with an example of work-life balance for a person named Alex who works as a software engineer. Additionally, we will show you the causes of poor work-life balance. Along with solutions to achieve work-life balance. We will emphasize how using 👉 IT staff augmentation 👈 can provide your team with a work-life balance. And finally, we will show the benefits you as an employer or manager, gain by helping create a work-life balance for your developers. Join us on this journey below.

What is work-life balance?

Work/Life balance is usually defined as time spent working compared to time spent at home with family. When your work requires more of your time, you can lessen your time by focusing on your passion and other tasks. Ideally, you have a balance between the time you spend working and the time you spend in your personal life. You shouldn’t be overworked with no time for a life.

A balanced work-life balance provides employers with many benefits. Productivity is greater, turnover is lower, and physical and mental wellness is improved by greater motivation and effort to work. It is possible for personal relationships to have a balance of both.

Examples of work-life balance

Here’s an example of work-life balance for an individual named Alex:

Alex is a 35-year-old professional working as a software engineer at a tech company. They value their career and are dedicated to producing high-quality work, but they also recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life.

Work Aspect:

• Alex starts their workday at 9:00 AM and ends at 5:00 PM. They strictly follow their working hours to prevent burnout and maintain a consistent routine.
• During work hours, Alex stays focused and efficient. They prioritize tasks, set realistic goals, and avoid distractions to ensure maximum productivity.
• Alex actively communicates with their team members and managers, promoting a positive and open work environment. This helps in managing work-related stress and encourages collaboration.
• If there are days with tight deadlines or special projects, Alex is willing to put in some extra effort. However, they also ensure that this doesn’t become a regular occurrence.

Personal Life Aspect:

• Outside of work, Alex dedicates time to hobbies and interests. They are passionate about playing the guitar and spend at least 1 hour every evening practicing.
• Alex participates in a local sports club, where they play soccer twice a week. This not only keeps them physically active but also provides a social outlet.
• Alex values spending quality time with family and friends. They set aside weekends for gatherings, outings, and bonding activities.
• To unwind and relax, Alex enjoys reading books or watching movies. They make it a habit to indulge in these activities for at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Alex practices mindfulness and meditation to reduce stress and maintain emotional well-being. This helps them remain focused and positive during both work and personal challenges.

Vacations and Time Off:

• Alex plans and utilizes their vacation days wisely. They take at least two weeks off each year to go on a trip with family or friends, ensuring a complete break from work responsibilities.
• On long weekends or public holidays, Alex plans mini-getaways or staycations to rejuvenate without needing to take extensive time off.

Overall, Alex has established a healthy work-life balance. All by prioritizing their well-being, relationships, and personal interests alongside their career. This balance enables them to be more productive and happier in both aspects of their life.

Common causes of poor work-life balance in tech companies

Let’s explore some of the common causes of poor work-life balance in tech companies.

Long working hours

A popular trend in the IT industry is long hours. Many developers work over time. Moreover, they take on various projects from different companies and employers. Developers can have the tendency to spread themselves very thin and not have a good work-life balance. When you can it’s best to avoid long hours to have a better work-life balance. It’s better to have an 8-hour work day, as opposed to working 14 hours and being exhausted.

Taking on too many tasks & projects

Another common reason for poor work-life balance in the tech world is assigning too many tasks for software developers to complete in a day. The stress associated with completing such a load of tasks is one thing. But also, content switching is not very developer friendly. Developers like to be able to take on a task and get into a flow. When they have to switch over to a new task, they fall out of that rhythm and it takes them a minute to find a new flow. If they have to do this more than 5 or 6 times a day, it impacts productivity. Moreover, it stresses them out and impacts their overall work-life balance.

Not enough flexibility

Some companies have work schedules and work hours that are not negotiable. They are strict and rigorous which can make it difficult for developers to achieve work-life balance. It can make it difficult for developers to attend to personal duties and life.

No clear expectations

In a tech company, not setting clear expectations can have detrimental effects on work-life balance for employees. When expectations regarding project deadlines, working hours, and task priorities are ambiguous or constantly shifting. It causes employees to face constant pressure to meet vague or unrealistic goals. This can result in prolonged working hours, increased stress, and a perpetual feeling of being “on-call,”. Thus blurring the boundaries between work and personal life.

Without a clear understanding of what is expected from them, employees may struggle to manage their time effectively, leading to burnout and decreased productivity. Moreover, the lack of clear expectations can create a culture of uncertainty, where employees feel hesitant to take time off or prioritize their well-being, fearing the repercussions of not meeting unknown or constantly changing demands. Ultimately, this can significantly compromise work-life balance, negatively impacting employee morale, retention, and overall company performance.

Not taking breaks

Another problem that prevents you from achieving work-life balance is not taking breaks. Your software engineers should be able to take breaks during working hours. They should be able to take a break in order to eat, rest, step outside, etc. You shouldn’t be working non-stop for 8 hours or more. This is exhausting, your mind needs to stop thinking about a task for a minute sometimes to be able to complete it more efficiently.

Solutions to create work-life balance for your development team

Now, it’s time to explore the many solutions you can implement to help create a healthy work-life balance for your software engineers and other IT staff.

Open communication & feedback

So, unfortunately, software engineers may bring up issues surrounding work-life balance that fall on deaf ears. It’s important to encourage open communication and feedback. Moreover, it’s important to try and implement strategies that will improve work-life balance for your staff. Your staff should feel heard when giving ideas and suggestions of any kind. It doesn’t have to be about just work-life balance, it can be aspects that might make your project better and so on.

Provide developers with flexibility

To have a better work-life balance developers need to have more flexibility. This may mean flexible work schedules. For example here at Swyply, most of our developers start between the hours of 8 am and 10 am CEST. This way the developer can choose his or her start time. They are able to integrate their work into their life, not the other way around. Also, if they need to catch up on some sleep, they can do so as they have a little wiggle room in their schedule.

Moreover, a good way to provide software engineers with more flexibility is to allow them to take breaks during work hours to eat, take care of something, etc. Give them the flexibility to make up hours later in the day if that is something that they need to do.

Make sure you have enough developers & other staff working on the project

Do not overload one developer with tasks that should be spread between 2 or more developers. Make sure that your software development team has enough members to meet demand. Don’t have your software developer be a one-person band. They need support from other developers, QA testers, project managers and so much more. When your software development team is structured properly and has enough working hands, your employees will have a better work-life balance. No one is going to feel overwhelmed, overworked, etc.

Create clear expectations

Something that impacts mental health in the workplace is not setting boundaries and clear expectations. Setting clear expectations at a tech company is vital for work-life balance. This is because it establishes a framework that allows employees to maintain harmony between their personal and professional lives. In the fast-paced and demanding tech industry, where the lines between work and personal time can blur easily. A company having well-defined expectations ensures that employees know their responsibilities, working hours, and project priorities.

This clarity enables them to plan and manage their time effectively, 👉 reducing the risk of burnout 👈 and promoting a healthier work-life integration. When employees are aware of what is expected of them and feel supported in achieving those goals. They can confidently allocate time for family, hobbies, and personal growth, fostering a more motivated and fulfilled workforce. Ultimately, clear expectations not only benefit employees’ well-being. But also contributes to higher productivity and job satisfaction. Thus making it a win-win situation for both the individuals and the tech company.

Set up realistic deadlines

Set up realistic timelines for your project. Give your teams enough time and buffer to make sure that they aren’t stressed to get things done. You want to set realistic deadlines for when things should be completed. It’s best to consult your software development team for timelines as they will know best how long it will take them to do the work. This way everyone is comfortable with the timeline and it’s more realistic.

Encourage developers to take time off

One way to promote work-life balance is to encourage developers to take time off and enjoy their personal lives. Encourage them to have leisure time to go on vacation, and catch up with friends and family. Moreover, they take the free time to explore & enjoy their hobbies. This will help them relax, rest and be more mentally prepared to work.

Use IT staff augmentation to achieve work-life balance for your in-house team

IT staff augmentation services can help you achieve work-life balance for your in-house development teams. When you use an IT staff augmentation vendor you can hire temporary developers to help supplement your existing staff. They can work with your existing team on a remote basis. Your project manager can more evenly distribute the workload. Therefore, everyone has a work-life balance. Also, with IT staff augmentation you have the ability to switch engineers as your project changes. You have a 👉 14-day guarantee period 👈 as your safety net. You can test which coders work best for you and will help you achieve work-life balance in your tech company.

I pick Swyply to hire augmented staff

Hire software engineers from Swyply to achieve work-life balance for your existing staff. You can hire developers with any tech stack to best fill your employment slots. Moreover, to meet your project demands and help you meet your deadlines.

Benefits of creating work-life balance for your software engineers

Let’s explore the benefits of creating a work-life balance for your software engineers.

Happy employees equal engaged employees

If your employees have a good work-life balance this likely means they are much happier. Happy employees are typically more engaged at work. Engaged employees are more productive, take initiative, and are more creative. This is a great benefit to any tech company as they can boost their projects to new heights.

Increased productivity

Taking care of your employee’s work-life balance means they will 👉 be more productive 👈. They won’t be burned out or tired. They will have the motivation and hunger to work. A tired developer means a less productive developer. Also, one that doesn’t take time to recharge their batteries by doing their favorite hobbies will also be lazy in the workplace. There needs to be a balance between hard work and play. You can work hard and play hard.

Stronger relationships between developers, QA testers, project managers, etc.

Work-life balance also affects professional relationships. When someone has an unhealthy work-life balance their relationships with coworkers may suffer. You may your developer be less engaged, less communicative, and less productive. Moreover, they may be short for other co-workers from being tired and unhappy.

However, when you work together with your employees to improve work-life balance, they can develop stronger bonds with other developers, QA testers, project managers, etc. They can bond about topics outside work to help them better communicate about work-related topics.

Higher job satisfaction = developer retention = lower employee costs

Work-life balance is key to job satisfaction because a developer has the ability to enjoy their life while also working. They don’t feel that their entire life revolves around work. But when they are working they are being heard, appreciated, and have clear expectations.

Software developers who have a balance between their professional life and personal life tend to also have higher job satisfaction. Typically when a software developer is happy at their job, they are more willing to stay there for longer. When you have good 👉 software developer retention 👈, you will have lower employee costs. You won’t have to worry about the costs associated with offboarding, recruiting, hiring, and onboarding. High developer retention saves your company money.

TL;DR: Summary of how IT staff augmentation can provide your coders with work-life balance

IT staff augmentation offers a promising solution to improve the work-life balance for software developers in tech companies. Work-life balance refers to the equilibrium between professional commitments and personal life. This is where individuals can manage their time, reduce stress, and foster overall well-being. Within the tech industry, several factors contribute to poor work-life balance, such as:

• heavy workloads,
• tight project deadlines,
• and a culture that glorifies long hours and constant availability.

However, by leveraging IT staff augmentation, companies can alleviate these issues and promote work-life balance among their development teams. Through IT staff augmentation, companies can scale their workforce. Thus enabling developers to avoid overwhelming workloads and maintain reasonable schedules. With the addition of remote talent, developers can enjoy increased flexibility. Thus allowing them to better manage their personal commitments and achieve a healthier work-life integration. Furthermore, augmenting the team with specialized experts can reduce the pressure on in-house developers, leading to less stress and burnout.

By adopting a culture that values work-life balance, companies can also implement policies such as flexible working hours, remote work options, and encouraging employees to take regular breaks. These strategies promote a more supportive and understanding environment, where developers can thrive both professionally and personally.

The benefits of providing the development team with a work-life balance are manifold. Some of them include:

• Happy employees equal engaged employees
• Increased productivity and creativity
• Stronger relationships between developers, QA testers, project managers, etc.
• Higher job satisfaction = developer retention = lower employee costs

Are you ready to empower your team? Embrace the work-life symphony!

It’s important to create a stable and motivated workforce. A balanced work-life environment fosters a positive company reputation, attracting top talent and retaining skilled employees. Ultimately, IT staff augmentation and a commitment to work-life balance empower software developers to reach their full potential. Thus benefiting both individuals and the organization as a whole.

Want to help your software engineers achieve work-life balance? 👉 Drop us a line 👈 and let’s see how augmented staff can take off some of the load. Also, let’s discuss some more strategies to achieve a work-life balance.