A company’s number one asset is its people. Moreover, a healthy, motivated employee is more valuable to their organization than one who is stressed and disengaged. In order prevent workers from reaching a state where they’re no longer able to work effectively, a company must develop a work-life balance policy that puts employees first.

Balanced employees are confident and driven in their work, which, consequently, increases productivity and cuts down on conflict among coworkers and management. Employees who feel they have a greater sense of control and ownership over their lives are more likely to have better relationships with their supervisors. Perhaps this is why companies who encourage work-life balance have higher employee retention rates.

Though work-life balance policies can have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line, the benefits shouldn’t be measured solely in financial terms. After all, a truly comprehensive work-life balance policy will protect the organization while simultaneously prioritizing employee wellness.

Work-life balance for parents

New parents are already under a huge amount of stress — but those who have no other option than to take unpaid family leave are subject to added pressure. Despite the veritable bounty of evidence that reveals how beneficial paid parental leave can be for parents, children, society, and companies, the U.S. is the only developed country in the world that doesn’t offer a federally guaranteed paid maternity leave.

Without the assurance of fully paid leave while caring for a new child, many parents have to choose between economic hardship and returning to work prematurely. As it currently stands, 114 million workers in the United States don’t have access to paid parental leave. Nearly half of employees who qualify for unpaid leave can’t take it due to financial reasons. What’s more, many of the companies who do offer parental leave policies often leave out fathers, adoptive parents, and low-wage workers.

Even those employees who qualify for paid parental leave don’t feel comfortable taking it. They worry that they’ll no longer be seen as hard-workers and may lose their job altogether. A recent survey from the U.S. Department of Labor shows that 70% of men took only 10 days of paid time off after becoming new fathers due to the cultural stigma surrounding taking significant leave in certain industries. This research shows that unless a company’s culture both supports and enforces parental leave policies, employees may fear being pushed out of their jobs.

Work-life balance for singles

Work–life balance policies often focus on the needs of working parents — but the need for it isn’t just for those who have children. Many companies create policies that narrowly define the life aspect of work-life balance. This prioritizes the needs of employees with child and other family care responsibilities. All employees experience work-life balance challenges — if you overlook some of them in your policy, well-being and morale may be in jeopardy.

Solo‐living employees without children face work-life balance concerns that are different from their colleagues with families. These challenges include:

• Assumptions that they can work longer hours, as they don’t have as many demands on their time outside of work as parents do. The reverse is true — they have sole responsibility for their household and need to invest time and energy into friendships for emotional support and well-being.
• Having no financial safety net or shared responsibility for mortgages and other major household costs.
• In the absence of emotional support, work monopolizes their thoughts and becomes difficult to detach from, especially when under added pressure. This can lead to a feeling heightened work‐based vulnerability.

HR professionals should examine existing policies to determine the extent to which they cater to those with work-life balance requirements beyond care responsibilities. It might be beneficial to shift from a “family‐friendly” policy to one that is more inclusive for all employees.

How to get started setting up a work-life-balance policy

Unfortunately, work-life balance policies aren’t “one size fits all.” Each organization has to tailor its policy to suit its own specific needs and corporate culture. Factors to be considered include the age, cultural, socioeconomic, and family needs of the employees.

Start building your work-life balance policy by sending a survey to employees, supervisors, and managers that focuses on their needs and concerns. Once you have your data, discuss it with senior management. It may be necessary to break down the benefits and challenges of such a policy, as well as the intentions and goals of the program. Explain how the program will be monitored and address any apprehensions expressed by both employees and management.

Create policy guidelines that clearly state its use and purpose. Specify if there will be any impact on vacation time, compensation, and other benefits. Now it’s time for the trial period! Closely monitor the effect of the policy on employee health, well-being, and productivity. After a few months, send out another survey asking for recommendations or further enhancements and act on them. Continue to trial and tweak until the policy is perfect.

The responsibility for establishing a comprehensive work-life balance policy falls on HR and senior management. However, for these policies to be both successful and sustainable, employers and employees must work together to ensure the program is effective. If the policy is constructed in such a way as to help meet employee needs and core business objectives at the same time, then your company will experience the benefits of having a more loyal and committed workforce.