A Work-Life Balance Will Help You Keep Employees

Employee retention is one of every organization’s and HR department's biggest challenges today. Since 2020, organizations have faced employee turnover in droves, on a global scale: quiet quitting, the Great Resignation, the Big Quit, the Great Reshuffle.

But when you shift perspectives and look at the WHY behind this, it’s a Great Opportunity. Simon Sinek argued: “The Great Resignation is, I think, a market correction… For too many years, let’s be honest, companies have taken advantage of their people, especially low-level employees. Because they could. They actually had attitudes like, if you don’t like it here, just get a job somewhere else.”

How to conquer the growing employee satisfaction and engagement crisis:

How to Improve Work-Life Balance for Employees

• Regularly review and adjust policies based on employee feedback.
• Train managers to support and manage flexible teams effectively.
• Monitor productivity and employee satisfaction to ensure the arrangements are working.
• Flex-time can change throughout the year – implementing special summer or holiday hours to accommodate people’s personal schedules.

• Track PTO usage to identify employees who may not be taking enough time off and encourage them to do so.
• Implement mandatory time-off periods where possible, especially after intensive projects.
• Create a culture where taking time off is respected and not penalized.


Set Clear Boundaries for After-Hours Communication

Strategy: Establish guidelines that minimize after-hours emails, calls, and work expectations.

Follow-up Actions:
• Communicate the importance of disconnecting from work to all employees.
• Utilize tools that schedule emails to be sent during business hours.
• Establish policies and timelines to return emails and phone calls. Step back from the NOW NOW NOW mentality.
• Make meetings matter – keeping them on-track, on-schedule, and within the workday hours. Be mindful of remote workers who are in different time zones.
• Avoid the Good Ol’ Boys, after-hours business. Regularly review and enforce these guidelines to ensure compliance across the organization.


Promote a Culture of Work-Life Balance

Strategy: Lead by example, with leadership prioritizing work-life balance and demonstrating healthy behaviors.

Follow-up Actions:
• Share success stories and testimonials from employees who effectively manage their work-life balance.
• Recognize and reward managers and teams that model a balanced work culture.
• Conduct pulse surveys to measure the effectiveness of the work-life balance culture and adjust accordingly.


Provide Resources for Stress Management and Well-Being

Strategy: Offer programs and resources that support corporate wellness activities , improving the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of your staff.

Follow-up Actions:
• Provide access to wellness programs, counseling services, or fitness memberships.
• Organize workshops on time management, stress reduction, and mindfulness.
• Provide your employees with meaningful benefits packages that include dietitian, mental health, women’s health, and medical services.
• Regularly assess employee well-being through anonymous surveys and make necessary adjustments to available resources.


Work-life balance can’t be just “another policy”, insteady a lived value within the institution. This has to start with top management and constantly be evaluated and adjusted.

"Balance is not something you find. It's something you create." - Jana Kingsford