Managing Balance for Yourself and Your Staff

As a manager or employer, your primary concern is the success of your business or department.  Success for most organizations means controlling costs and optimizing performance.  That’s your bottom line.  But have you considered the impact that work/life balance – both for you and your staff – has on that bottom line?

Burnout costs Canadian business an estimated $12 billion every year in health claims, lost productivity and absenteeism. 

Without good work/life balance, the performance of both employees and employers suffers – productivity drops and rates of absenteeism increase.  When work and life are not in balance, you and your staff are working flat out and feeling burned out, but in fact, you’re getting less accomplished.

The good news is that the manager or employer has a great deal of influence in encouraging good work/life balance practices.  And the benefits are too many to count. 

The best thing you can do, for your health and that of your staff, is to model good work/life balance yourself.  Don’t eat lunch at from your desk, restrict overtime hours, limit electronic communication during non-working hours and take your vacation time. 

How Balanced Is Your Business?

Asking just a few questions about your organization can give you a good indication of the quality of work/life balance for your employees.

• Do managers receive training about how to support their staff to achieve work/life balance?
• Are your employees familiar with the policies and programs available to help with work/life balance?
• Does your organization provide flexible hours to help employees balance their responsibilities at work and at home?
• Do your managers encourage staff to stay home with sick children or elderly relatives when necessary?
• Does your organization have a method to track employees’ satisfaction with their work/life balance?