How can you create a work-life balance culture as a leader?

The most important word here is trust. If you as a manager are not able to trust your employees and instead rely on control, you can save yourself the effort. An appreciative work-life balance culture in the sense of #newwork only comes about through the mutual agreement of all those involved. As a manager, you have to learn to give power to your employees, and to do so consistently. Pretending to participate does not help either.

Lead by example. -Don't call or email your employees before or after working hours. -Make sure to take your vacation -When you take vacation, do not answer or send emails (unless it's an absolute emergency) Yes, there may be times when you as the leader have to start early or finish late, but this should be made clear to your employees it's not something that you do often unless it's extremely important. When employees see that you ensure to have a work life balance they are more apt to do the same.

Role modelling in this space is the number 1 priority. If teams see the way to get ahead is through late nights, staying away all week and always being ‘too busy’ that’s what they are going to strive to achieve. We have all been trying to make a conscious effort as a leadership team not to start every conversation when asked ‘how are you’ with ‘busy but getting there’ or something similar. It had almost become our stock response!

I had once taken a break and I was travelling without my laptop. Being the CEO and Founder of a remote company, I was still able to be AFK for 3 days and I came back and I TALKED to my employees about it. The other time, I talked to them about how being in a remote organization, I can easily go and play badminton / spend time with my daughter at 5.30 pm in the evening. The point is to talk about it to your employees - when you take a break yourself, communicate this to the employees. So they can understand that they don't have to feel guilty for taking that day off or a break from work to just relax and not do anything. People tend to follow their leaders, and when you show how you sort your work life balance, you're helping do the same.

To begin with, recognize that we've crossed past the Work-Life Balance stage, and moved over to the Work-Life Integration stage. Don't be, neither expect your team to be, in 'Always On' mode. Demonstrate your respect for boundaries, by using 'Schedule send' kind of options when emailing. Lastly, please find other things in Life to engage with - it helps immensely, to not centre your entire identity around Work. Once you've managed to do most of the above, make it your personal mission to ensure that at least 1 person in your team embraces the same. Culture spreads when people spread it. Otherwise, it remains merely a desirable enigma.

What isn't mentioned in this specific section is that as a leader you must communicate boundaries early and often. This will let your team know that it's okay for them to set boundaries. Openness and vulnerability in communication can help in fostering trust. When leaders are transparent about their availability and limitations and encourage team members to do the same, it paves the way for genuine understanding and mutual respect. Additionally, try to set your team up for success. If you send them emails or requests near the end of the workday, you're setting your team up to work late. Don't do this. Schedule these requests for the next day.

Define team rules regarding means of synchronous and asynchronous communication and how to act in cases of urgency. This provides the entire team with a clear perspective on how to manage their time and how to obtain support in those cases in which any issue must be addressed or resolved quickly.

As leaders, we can often believe we are communicating clearly. The best way to know is by checking in with your team. Make it a priority to ask for feedback from your team. We can certainly communicate while also making sure that the information is received and understood.

Create structured feedback frameworks that include regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews to allow for an open, honest communication about both professional and personal needs, ensuring that your employees feel heard and valued. Promote a 'No-Overtime' policy that emphasizes the importance of completing tasks efficiently within regular working hours, which sends a clear message that you value their personal time.

I help leaders build this kind of foundation with their teams. It takes work to set up a professional relationship but it can be simplified into a repeatable process. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to speak clearly about expectations and share with each other the best way to work together. The old adage, while good intentioned, of "treat others how you want to be treated" can backfire because people are complex and what might work for you doesn't work for others.

In my experience, flexibility rather inculcated the will to take ownership within my employees. They cannot perform their best, until and unless you don't hand over the stage. Few ways through which we tried to create a more flexible workspace ~ 1. Setting up auto approval of leaves without any reason required. 2. No time logging required. You choose your working hours, we are focused more on the output of the work. 3. Lesser calls and meetings. Real work happens when you can sit and put your efforts and focus on it in your comfort zone, not when you're surrounded by a 20-people Google Meet. 4. We prefer Work from Anywhere over Work from Home. Be it a beautiful beachside AirBNB or from an altogether different country, it's possible.

As a leader, it is important to create a culture that supports the well-being of employees. Encourage your employees to find ways to integrate their work and personal lives in a way that works for them. This could include flexible work arrangements, such as remote work or flexible hours, or providing resources for employees to manage their personal lives more effectively.Also create a culture that supports passion-driven work rather than compulsion-driven work ie providing opportunities for professional development and growth, recognizing and rewarding employee achievements, and creating a positive and supportive work environment. Encourage employees to find ways to integrate their work and personal lives in a way that works for them

There is nothing worse than micromanagement. Although setting realistic expectations is important, it's equally important to remain flexible. Not everything goes according to plan, and approximately 70% of all projects fail in some way or another. Flexibility creates trust and mutual respect between you and your team. Do you want to be the leader who demands that your team keeps their camera on during unneeded meetings? Or do you want to be the leader that trusts them to do their best work and respects their privacy? Flexibility matters.

Embracing workplace flexibility is a crucial strategy for modern organizations. This approach allows employees to optimize their productivity by choosing when and where they work, ultimately leading to higher efficiency and improved work quality. Moreover, it brings about cost-saving advantages, particularly through remote work, as it reduces overhead expenses and broadens the talent pool, promoting diversity and inclusion. Furthermore, fostering flexibility within your organization builds a strong foundation of trust among employees. This, in turn, boosts job satisfaction and commitment. When employees feel empowered and valued, they become more motivated to take ownership of their work, fostering innovation and creative problem-solving.

We have entered the age of flexible work arrangements, such as remote work options or flexible hours, to accommodate employees' personal needs and preferences. As leaders, it is our responsibility to encourage open communication, where team members feel comfortable discussing their work-life balance concerns and requesting adjustments. In addition, we can provide resources and support, like stress management programs or time management training, to help employees manage their workload effectively. By prioritizing flexibility and actively supporting work-life balance, we can create a more motivated, satisfied, and engaged workforce, which ultimately benefits both the team and the organization as a whole.

Yes, promote it with your support and resources. Again, checking in with employees to ensure that programs are relevant and meeting their needs is valuable. Organizations that are prioritizing well-being are noticing a shift in the culture and a higher retention rate. We are at a time in corporate history to continue focusing on human kindness and trusting that it will add to our organization's bottom line.

Promoting well-being and work-life balance is a lot more likely when you get to know what your team members need in order to experience this. We can't assume everyone has the same needs as each other, or as we do! Someone may need flexibility with their schedule, someone may want support adjustment with a deadline, someone may need some employee resource support. Spending time to understand your team, what their needs are and how that might change over time takes a little effort, but it's worth it.

When you get on a plane, they tell you to.... "put your own oxygen mask on first, before tending to the needs of others". You, and everyone in your team are useless, unless you take the time to look after yourself. Martyrs can be very inspiring symbols, but due to being dead...they are terrible at actually getting anything done. Don't be a martyr. Be someone who gets things done.

Don't stop at offering resources. You have to train your managers to make sure that they have the emotional IQ and relationship with their direct reports to help identify points when an employee might need these resources. Typically people forget about these things or will wait until something is really bad before taking action. Managers should be the front line in checking in on people and making sure they are aware of all of the kinds of resources available to them.

Promoting well-being extends beyond traditional programs; it's about creating a supportive atmosphere where individuals thrive. Offering wellness perks like gym memberships and counseling services is importnat, but equally vital is encouraging open dialogue. By asking about their weekends or personal achievements in team meetings, if they are comfortable sharing, we nurture a sense of belonging, showing genuine interest in their lives beyond work. This approach fosters a positive environment where employees feel valued, safe, and connected, enabling them to cope with stress and find fulfillment, ultimately enhancing both their performance and overall happiness.

Something that isn't mentioned that goes a long way is that you should personalize how you reward or celebrate achievements to the person you are celebrating. Not everyone wants a cupcake party at lunch with 20 other team members, listening to them sing Happy Birthday during their downtime... Consider having a 1-on-1 call with them and giving them a gift card for dinner or lunch after recognizing their contributions to the company. Maybe they're seeking a promotion or are working towards a goal, help them get there. No one cares about a company pizza party, quit celebrating success with a 10$ pizza.

I also think that you should support a culture where people have opportunities to speak about their accomplishments. It doesn't always have to be leadership rewarding employees. You could have a set time every quarter or twice a year for teams to present to each other the projects they are most proud of. Not only does it increase awareness across teams, it allows people to take pride in their work and learn how to talk about their role and the team's role in the project.

I’m not sure about this one as worded. Part of building a culture of work-life balance means being very thoughtful about which behaviors and accomplishments you reward. If you are regularly praising the employee who always works late, you may be sending the wrong message. Rewarding efforts of employees who have good balance will be noticed. Better yet, start rewarding employees for getting results in a sustainable, balanced way.

Studies have shown that it is not actually the achievements themselves that keep people satisfied and motivated, but the feeling of making progress (- even if they don't actually make progress but feel like they do). A great way to help people do that is to create a KPI Scorecard and break down goals for them into smaller milestones and ask each week about how far they've come, what went well & what they've learnt from the week. This will help to keep the focus on progress and helps people feel more accomplished along the way - which in return helps keep the balance.

Celebrate achievements that happened outside of work and/or give give time off as a form of recognizing work-related achievements. These types of celebrations will show that their life outside of work is part of the whole person we value.

Exactly, I used to order my team's favorite cakes twice a month but I realized that it wasn't what work-life balance was about, I started with myself - I set an alarm for 4:30 pm as we close as 5:15 pm - this gives my team time to round off on the day's activities. I do not send emails to them after work or weekends, i jot it down as the today list for the next day, it helps us all in planning and time management

A great leader is one who prioritizes the holistic development and growth of their team members.. But why is this focus so crucial? According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which explains the motivations for human behavior, once basic physiological needs are met, it's esteem and self-actualization that drive our ambitions. When leaders help their employees harness their strengths, uncover hidden talents, and encourage them to see beyond their immediate roles and responsibilities, they also cultivate a culture of care and belongingness. This not only motivates employees to exceed expectations when necessary but also elevates their self-esteem.

While learning is an important aspect of employee development it doesn't directly relate to flexibility. Providing flexibility for employees to take time to learn is important and should be encouraged, but is mostly focused on employee development. Work-life balance is more about taking care of whole humans, and their physical, psychological, and personal needs.

Leadership is as much about paving the way for others as it is about managing day-to-day operations. Understanding your team's career goals and personal interests is the first step in helping them grow. Once you know what drives them, you can provide opportunities that align with their aspirations. This could mean assigning them to projects that stretch their abilities or connecting them with mentors in their desired field. In the hospitality industry, where roles can be rigid, creating these tailored growth paths can set you apart as a leader who manages and inspires.

I once asked to attend a leadership conference, and explained how it would benefit my department and organization. The request was refused because at that time I was not in a leadership position and wasn't required to get training. That's when I checked out. Always encourage your staff to learn and to develop their leadership skills. Give them opportunities to grow and use what they've learned. By investing in them and putting their new-found skills to use, you are letting them know they are valued and you are setting them up for a successful future.

Encourage self-care: Leaders should emphasize the importance of self-care, not just as an individual responsibility but also as a crucial component of productivity and well-being. Encourage employees to take breaks, engage in activities outside of work, and practice self-care techniques like meditation or exercise.

In addition to the above pointers, make sure to take out time to genuinely connect with your team members. Schedule at-least 1 30min monthly (or once in 2 months) connect with each team member to: - Check-in on their and their family's wellbeing. Try to remember names of their spouses and/or children, it adds a personal touch to the conversations - Talk about their growth/ development areas - Discuss their aspirations and personal goal plans, let the employee take the ownership - Seek feedback - Ask "How can you support them better?" - Acknowledge and appreciate their contributions Let the employees drive the agenda for these connects and try to keep work related discussions separate from these.

What a balanced life looks like Here are a few examples of how a balanced work-life environment may look like when you start implementing the right techniques. - You finish your work tasks when your little one is napping. - You prefer work lunches instead of dinners. - You dedicate extra hours to study for an exam because you wanted to spend some time with your friends. - You completely unplug from work when you’re on a vacation. - You do not check work emails after the working hours. - You focus on personal commitments on off-days instead of working. - You make sure to spend time with your kids after returning from work. - You use your lunch break to call your friend back because you missed their call while in a meeting.

Work life balance is a myth, its always attributed to the number of working days in a week or a month. Rather it's associated with the quality of time employees spend apart from work. While increasing the number of holidays is a way to build leisure time for employees but before that employees needs to be trained on how to spend leisure time. Here are my 3 tips. 1. Create a culture of fostering how leisure needs to be spent on personal and relationship well being 2. Introduce employee well being program through trained professionals on how to prioritise mental health 3. Encourage employees to be open on the out of work requisite on mental health help

As human beings, we should strive to live holistically. The concept of balance often implies that work and life are two separate entities. However, our goal should be to integrate work and life into a well-established ecosystem, where work is considered a natural part of life. Instead of trying to balance the two, we should aim to make work an integral part of our existence, just like any other activity that we make time for. By doing this, we can create a life that is fully integrated, where work and living are not viewed as two different spectrums.