What do you do if you need to communicate your work-life balance needs to your leaders?

WLB is defined differently by each person. Before you open yourself for a discussion with your heads, ensure to craft a more personalized WLB design tailored to fit your unique needs, preferences and circumstances. You can’t verbalize something you can’t plan ahead so be sure to bring something to the table, provide alternatives if option 1, 2 won’t be acceptable. Remember to flex your options that will still bring about a win-win solution for both parties. Your openness and your manner and tone in communicating your WLB needs will spell the acceptability of your request to the stakeholders. WLB is very subjective, the percentage of value you put in one area of your life is not the same for everyone else.

When communicating your need for Work-life balance to the leaders, the following may be considered : - What exactly is the challenge that you are facing relating to your work life balance - How is this impacting your productivity? - what exactly do you need from your leaders? - Do you have some plan in mind personalized to your requirement? - What are the various options you have to offer and their consequences on you and the organization/ your leaders - What is the best option as per you? - Are you open to suggestions/ flexible to adjust for mutual benefit of the organization, leaders and yourself This will be a win-win situation for all stakeholders to find a mutually beneficial solution to help you achieve the desired work-life balance.

When communicating work-life balance needs to leaders, a crucial yet often overlooked aspect is framing these needs within the context of overall organizational success. It's common to focus solely on personal well-being, but linking work-life balance to increased productivity, creativity, and employee retention can be compelling. Emphasize how a balanced workforce leads to higher morale, reduced burnout, and better decision-making. By showcasing the direct impact on business outcomes, leaders are more likely to prioritize and support initiatives that promote work-life balance.

It really depends on the context, including the cultural norms, your boss’s values and for how long you’ve been feeling “out of balance.” In principle, your boss wants you to perform and feel good about coming to work. He/she also wants to retain you. In this situation, consider an open conversation, explaining the situation and even suggesting some changes you’d like to make to sustain your performance and your well being. A good boss wants you to speak up and partner with you to make things better. In other companies, this would conflict with cultural norms. Your boss may be able to protect you, however, the situation is more tenuous. If the boundaries you need are not possible, it may be time for you to find a better environment.

I would ask how the leader manages the balance between personal life and professional life to understand the leader's reality and try to create some bond or rapport, secondly I would explain how a healthy balance between professional life and personal life is reflected in the numbers and the professional performance within the company.