How can a business strategist help employees balance work and life?

A business strategist develops long-term plans and strategies for business growth and success. They advise and collaborate with leadership on how to achieve goals. They understand business, people, and markets holistically.

I'd recommend amending this definition to also include a time factor. A successful strategy develops, plans and executions initiatives that provide growth (however that is measure) medium to long term. I think the definition is too close to Program Manager and we need to recognize that a strategist has to focus on the future growth.

Work-life balance reduces employee stress and burnout. It improves health, engagement, retention, and productivity. People need time for personal needs, families, and interests. A poor work-life balance causes turnover, absenteeism, and lackluster work. Supporting fulfillment in all life roles creates more loyalty and better work.

In very simple terms, if you achieve a work/life balance that meets our personal views, then you will be engaged, and therefore more productive, and therefore more successful, and therefore provide more value to your organization.

Conduct organization-wide surveys to solicit anonymous input. Use skip level meetings with multiple layers to analyze needs. Track overtime demands on teams, noting inconsistencies. Audit policies for flexibility and paid time off. Review documents detailing voluntary turnover reasons.

Recommend leadership set an example using vacations and boundaries. Advise modifying schedules where possible like remote workdays and flexible hours. Help manage workloads and priorities by reducing red tape. Encourage use of sabbaticals and career breaks to combat burnout.

Regular pulse surveys evaluate ongoing change efforts and current culture. Adding exit interview questions gathers data on reasons for leaving. Biannual reports audit overtime hours, vacation used, and turnover reasons, noting progress. Anonymous safety hotlines offer a safe space for concerns.

This should be streightforward - a strategist is focused on finding unique growth opportunities for companies. It's the same mind set to find unique ways to grow the value you provide to your organization while reducing the resources, time, effort required.

Adopt a strategic workload approach by balancing core teams with flexible support during peak times, mirroring efficient energy management. In jobs with fluctuating workloads, the concept of work-life balance can be challenging. Instead of applying generic work-life balance solutions, businesses can strategically manage workloads. Assess the base workload that remains constant and employ contract workers for peak times, akin to power plants using additional resources during peak demand. This approach not only addresses the issue of work-life balance more effectively but also ensures that employees are not overwhelmed during high-demand periods, maintaining productivity and morale.

Leadership training helps cascade messaging and model behavior expected. Manager development equips people to coach teams on owning sustainability and saying no to constant urgency and on-call work. Publish articles and resources detailing time management techniques. Share stories celebrating flexibility successes.

Business strategists must plan to influencer leaders first to gain commitment. Change takes patience as engrained norms evolve. Clearly and regularly communicate the abundant benefits of balance for individuals and the business as motivation. Progress happens incrementally so persistence rules the day.