Healthy organizational culture requires healthy individuals. Therefore, the workplace must support a healthy work-life balance to remove stress and enable long-term success.
If the team is off-balance, the organization will also underperform. Simple logic, but many organizations run on overdrive and burn the team out for some unknown reason. Misguidedly, they focus on the wrong metrics, not the people, and suffer from well-deserved and significant turnover rates.
It is up to you as the leader to eliminate unnecessary stress by supporting work-life balance. You will benefit from higher productivity, happier people, improved accuracy, and greater customer satisfaction. Studies have proven this.
Burnout and turnover result in high-stress levels in the workplace - sometimes this happens by design, others by circumstance; in the end though, the result is the same. Turnover is even more costly than retaining good people and caring for them. How is this simple idea lost?
In last week's Business Tip Tuesday, we reviewed some key stats about the value-add of focusing on employee well-being -- I'd like to reiterate these ideas before sharing some additional best practices for building a healthy business.
Here are a few ideas you may find helpful in supporting stress reduction and work-life balance professionally and organizationally.
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Make Organizational Culture written documents for awareness and reinforcement of behaviors readily available. |
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Be the example of desired work-life balance behavior in your organization. |
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Implement wellness checks with your team regularly to sense the organization's pulse. |
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Prioritize healthy team-time for good team connection to nurture the organizational spirit. |
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Remind yourself and the team to take breaks, unplug, or a walk and de-stress. |
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Establish and work within working hours as defined in the employee handbook. Limit any before or after work hour expectations. |
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Utilize technology advancements where possible to work smarter, not longer – everyone wins. |
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Build strong lines of communication and allow all team members to be heard and responded to. |
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Train supervisors and managers to identify signs of poor work-life balance in the office. |
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Ask the team what the organization might do to improve work-life balance meaningfully. |
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Work to maintain achievable workflows as best as possible. |
The above listed are several fantastic ways to show you, as an employer of people, care about the team and reduce organizational stress levels. Pick a few that matter most to your organization, and build from there.
What would the results look like if your team was balanced, happy, engaged, more productive, and demonstrated resilience under pressure? It would be refreshing and wonderful at the same time! It would be for them too! Everyone wins!
Empathy plays a prominent role in stress awareness and work-life balance. Our ability to place ourselves in someone else's shoes is critical towards understanding the needs of others. As the leader, this is your deliverable. Let the balancing act begin!
Now enter discipline. Simply because you have clarity, established priority, and have written vision, mission, and values statements does not mean you are ready for the journey. It would help if you now mustered discipline to drive the right behaviors. And you thought all the other stuff was tricky. To me, discipline is the wildcard. Here is an idea to drive your discipline.
If you get a handle on the pain points without work-life balance (WLB), you can only then work to eliminate them. Even more, if you can identify the benefits of WLB in your life with less stress, you may want to stay on course to enjoy them. Combine these two principles and frame your WLB journey with intent and discipline. Enjoy less stress at work and home.
If it were easy to reduce stress and manage work-life balance effectively, everyone would do it well. Most do not, and likely you do not either. I struggle with this journey every day. I have yet to gain effective control. Lately, however, I am showing signs of seeing the light! I have updated my personal Mission, Vision, and Values statements. I have clarity in what is essential now. That was the trick, understanding priorities at this moment – now.
Both life and work present challenges from time to time, and both can offer stress. We must apply appropriate energies at the proper times and things to earn the right results. Part art and part science; this requires your intentional thoughtfulness and implementation. But if you lack clarity, everything is a priority and gets out of balance.
The next step is up to you. Are you willing to do the work to enjoy the life you want to live personally and professionally? Life is a journey. It would be best if you exited your comfort zone to live a more balanced stress-free life. The work will still be there in the morning. Trust me on that one.
The workplace must support a healthy work-life balance to remove stress for long-term success. Implement these ideas as helpful in your life and organization where possible. All businesses have a rhythm, and I get it. There are times we cannot do all of the above.
Please try to show your care with empathy. Implement discipline, even when it is hard. Work-Life Balance is a fundamental aspect of a healthy organizational culture. Respect it. Work does not need to be stressful. Humans make it stressful by lacking emotional intelligence and focusing on the wrong things. Be the change. You and your team will all win!