What you do for a living weighs heavily on who you are as a person. Your occupation, and more specifically your career, shape and define you. But equally as important is what you do with your time outside of work. What really sets you apart from your work life is how you manage your personal time. This isn’t always the easiest thing to do though – whether that is due to the fact that paid time off is scarce or your life outside of the work environment is riddled with obligations that bind you from being able to enjoy yourself. It is critical for your workforce’s health and sense of identity to allow them the freedom of a life outside the office walls. Let’s take a look at some pointers for making that happen.
Rise to The Occasion
When your team puts in the long hours to meet an unexpected deadline or to finish up a project, they should be rewarded. It’s critical for an employee to feel valued when they’ve gone above and beyond to see it through the success of an assignment. With that being said, it should be understood that personal time should be allowed after the fact. Make sure that if this hasn’t already been communicated, that your team knows that you appreciate their hard work, but also respect their private independent lives.
A Priceless Currency
A favorite topic for many; paid time off is the digital currency of the corporate world. How your organization awards this benefit is unique and at times restraining. For example, an employee is very ill but doesn’t want to use their precious paid time off on a sick day due to an upcoming vacation. They end up coming to work, likely to make mistakes because they’re sick, end up not getting better, and get the rest of the team sick all at once! This is a frustrating situation for all parties involved. There are a few methods for resolving this however, but the easy solution is to be flexible with paid time off accrual. Every organization is different and some processes may work better than others; some implement very limited sick days, while others offer extensive paid time off. The bottom line here is, if an employee comes to work, puts in the time, and gets the job done, they should be rewarded, within reason, with adequate time off.
The Honor System
The idea of extensive paid time off may come off as jarring and extreme, that much is true. That’s where the honor system comes into play. The argument in favor of an extensive paid time off system is that there will be individuals who will abuse it. The solution is to implement an honor system where employees consensually agree to help each other in the event an extended amount of time is requested off. Job responsibilities come first.
Keep an Even Keel
The important take away here is that the work life balance is not a fictitious narrative, it’s a fact that will ultimately dictate your life, health, and happiness. This sentiment should resonate throughout your organization. Take the necessary steps towards implementing a system that allows this to happen smoothly. True success comes from a sustainable and well-tuned work life balance.