Work-Life Balance: Help Your Employees Juggle It All

After working for the same software company for several years, a young professional moved 90 minutes away from the organization. Instead of resigning or dealing with a grueling commute, she proposed that she could come into the office just one day a week, and work the rest of the time from home.  The company leadership agreed.   The young woman found a mutually agreeable solution that allowed her to achieve work-life balance. Unfortunately, many employees in the same situation wouldn’t feel comfortable making such a request. With so many companies doing more with less, employees need to achieve a better work-life balance … and you can help your organization do just that.

1. Find Out What Coworkers and Employees Need
Some workers might want a more flexible office schedule, a compressed workweek, job sharing options, or resources for child or elder care.  Others may want healthy workplace initiatives like on-site exercise classes and wellness lectures.
What can you do? 
Form a work-life committee to survey people and find out their needs.  Members can then recommend ways the organization might help employees achieve more balanced lives.

2. Relieve the Pressure of Overtime Demands
When demands become rigorous, everyone suffers.
What can you do?
Do something special for coworkers and employees – like providing a dessert, a dinner, or little thank you gestures.  Suggest that dedicated people get an afternoon off … and everyone will be rewarded with a newly refreshed coworker. 

3. Set an Example
People who don’t take time for themselves feel more stressed, and consequently, become less productive at work.
What can you do?
Don’t begrudge people their personal time.  Encourage others in showing the proper work-life balance – when your boss leaves at 5:00 p.m. to see her son’s soccer game, realize that she should be doing it with pride! 

Remember to do the following in order to help your employees juggle it all:

• Find out what coworkers and employees need
• Relieve the pressure of overtime demands
• Set an example