Work-life balance is becoming more popular to talk about – but it’s more than just a buzzword.
The reality is employee satisfaction can be just as good for the bottom line as even the leanest of project management approaches. Check out this thought from the former CEO of Xerox:
“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.”
Helping employees achieve work-life balance doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, taking the time and funds to invest in employee satisfaction can help your company become more productive and profitable.
Not every company needs to be a Google or a Nike when it comes to employee satisfaction. But business leaders can start somewhere.
Here are a few suggested flexible policies to get moving toward a better work-life balance for your employees.
Model a Healthy Life Balance From the Top Down
It starts with you. Leaders that work 12 or 14 hour days are not likely to inspire a balance in their employees. Make sure you take regular time for yourself and let your employees know it.
Some research has even shown that workers – and leaders – can be more productive when they have less time to work. Consider this CEO that moved his entire company to a 5 hour work day, for example. Let that principle work for you!
Introduce Flexible Schedules – or even a work from home option
With online collaboration and communication tools becoming more versatile, flexible working hours and work-from-home options are becoming increasingly common. Consider offering the option to your employees!
A few tools that will help your employees and teams stay organized with the shift:
Trello – for task management and collaboration!
Slack – for team communication in a virtual environment!
Google Drive – for staying on top of files and making edits remotely!
Asana – for team-based work management!
Basecamp – for project management and team communication!
Teamviewer – for remote desktop access!
Set Aside a Budget for Personal Development
Nobody understands your employees’ jobs quite like your employees. If you give them the opportunity for professional or personal development, they are likely to jump at the opportunity. It could be taking an SEO class to improve their marketing acumen in the digital age, or it could be taking a foreign language. Anything that lets them explore their own development and feel valued by the company.
Another idea in this vein is to match employee donations to charities to a certain dollar amount. If you can afford it, this step will do wonders for your authentic advocacy.
Focus on Project Outcomes, Not Hours Worked or Useless Metrics
As a business leader, you can choose to start focusing on outcomes rather than outputs. This means letting go of tracking every single hour that your employees work, and instead engaging with them on a real level. Ask them what they’ve accomplished this week, and what they plan to accomplish next week.
Ask for results from your employees – not drones at desks from 8 to 5. Expert opinion says you’ll be surprised at the results.
About the Author
Brooklin Nash writes about the latest tools and small business trends for TrustRadius. When he’s not writing, you can find him reading YA dystopian fiction (with guilty pleasure) and cooking.
