Cultivating Work-Life Harmony on Your Team
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto:
Work-Life Harmony is the third of five elements deemed essential for better employee wellness at work in the Surgeon General's Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being.
Given that the COVID pandemic has placed greater emphasis on the wellness and mental health of workers, this work-life harmony has become a priority for organization leaders. Stress and Burnout Specialist, Chibs Okereke, has written much about the conceptual shift from work-life balance to work-life harmony. Okereke explains that while “work-life balance" implies that work can be evenly compartmentalized alongside our life responsibilities, "work-life harmony" acknowledges that work and life are intertwined and influence each other.
When possible, leaders can support work-life harmony by providing workers with autonomy and flexibility on when, where and how employees complete their work.
As a leader, here is how you can support the key components of work-life harmony:
Provide More Autonomy Over How Work is Done
When leaders have the confidence to give more autonomy to employees in how work is completed, leaders are helping to develop more trusting relationships with teammates, which, in turn, increases employee satisfaction. Consider minimizing micromanaging teammates and instead help to establish frameworks for work, by providing big picture goals.
Make Schedules as Flexible or as Predictable as Possible
Unpredictable schedules can cause income volatility and anxiety. Both of these are factors which impact workers' mental and physical health. To help your employees achieve work-life harmony, employers can provide regular and predictable scheduling and implement flexibility around work time. This recognition means not penalizing workers with lost wages when emergencies inevitably arise.
Increase Access to Paid Leave
Organizations should increase paid sick, family, medical and parental leave. The U.S. Surgeon General explains that "The U.S. remains the only advanced economy in the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) that does not guarantee paid medical and family leave to its workforce." In addition to reducing the possibility of lost wages, this component improves workers' sense of safety and positively impacts their physical and mental health. Employees who feel cared for in the workplace often reciprocate care for the organization.
Respect Boundaries Between Work and Non-work Time
In environments where work-life harmony is a priority, there is healthy respect for the boundaries between work time and non-work time. Allowing staff to use non-work time for personal activities means respecting non-work hours. Displaying sensitivity around time off, shows that you, as a leader, value your teammate’s time to unwind, and tend to their other life responsibilities. Being clear around expectations for working ‘off-the-clock’ should be the norm and not the exception.