How can you help your employees prioritize work and personal life?

Help them set clear boundaries between work and personal life: - no email after hours - clear WE - covering when they are on holidays

Well, work life balance is the key for this. How to make it? The workplace culture and management style is the keys. Imaging how would the employees feel if the superior sent messages or email in the midnight about works just because she can't sleep in the midnight. Even though the employees can just ignored but what happens if the superior set them a tricks and mental torture them as punishment for ignoring her messages and email?

Prioritization of work-life balance is one of key factor for people management and as manager we need to ensure to set clear and realistic expectations for employees. It starts with setting up feasible expectations and define what is expected from the employee as deliverables. This needs to be discussed with employee and mutual agreement is required to ensure accountability. In next step, regular review and reflection on progress needs to be discussed to identify areas to improve and take agreed steps to address. Every employee is unique and adjustments are required based on individual circumstances. This approach not only reduces unnecessary pressure but also creates a work environment that respects and support personal life commitments.

My biggest advice is to take full advantage of the 'send later' functionality of email, slack and other communication tools. Sending information and requests so that communications arrive when the employee is best able to manage them is respectful of boundaries, keeps priorities clear and promotes efficiency. Hint: If there is a chance that a "send later" communication will be outdated by the time it arrives, add a note at the top indicating when it was set up and that intervening conversations supersede the content.

As people manager we need to establish a culture where employees are not disturbed outside business hours unless it’s an extreme emergency. This get’s difficult to maintain specially in IT service industry because of the nature of delivery and work. However, implementing proper delivery model with well planned support structure can help in great extent. Personally, I implemented shared delivery model in some of my past deliveries and got immense benefits. Setting correct examples are also required. If you are sending an email outside business hours, please ensure to mention that an immediate response is not expected and employee can respond during his/her shift time only. If something is not urgent, don’t make it urgent.

For me the question is more about " How do we get employees to prioritise personal time off, as most employees would ordinarily prioritise their work. Id say: 1. Encourage employees to plan their vaccinations in advance. 2. Employees personal time/time off, should not be interrupted eg being recalled back. 3. We should respect once employees knock off, for the day.

One way I've done this is to include an agenda item dedicated to a bit of personal time during team meetings. Encourage discussion about upcoming time off for not only yourself but others so that the team consistently is reminded about prioritizing time off for persona health.

As a manager we are responsible to set correct example. Employees look up to their leaders and generally adapts the habit & practices being followed by their manager. If you start working before working hour starts or work late on regular basis, that creates pressure on team members also to report early or stay late. As a leader we need to promote best practices & healthy habits by following those on daily basis.

Creating an environment of recognition is necessary. Be it a small win or a big success, on time celebration and recognitions creates a positive environment. One factor is missing in majority of organization is to award someone who delivered well professionally while maintaining healthy work-life balance. It’s not easy to achieve this feat and that’s the reason this needs to be recognized well. Recognition can be in any form (monetary or non-monetary, verbal or written, in person or public appreciation), but it should be in time. Delayed recognition will loose it’s purpose and value.

Below are some of pointers which can help employees to prioritize their work-life balance – • If any employee is not taking regular time off, encourage to take few days off. • Sometimes remote or hybrid work gives better work-life balance to employees. Based on business feasibility that can be encouraged. • Flexible work schedule also can be recommended when possible. • Regular workshops/sessions on work-life balance, healthy habits also will give required pointers to employees to improve their work-life balance.