Deborah Porter

When supporting the growth of your employees and team with work life balance, consider where and how you can grow the culture of care in the workplace. In doing so, there are several questions to consider. 1. Would your team agree that they are encouraged to show up as their whole selves at work? 2. Are responsibilities as parents/caregivers tolerated or celebrated and understood? 3. Are experts on work life balance brought in for lunch and learns and workshops to offer strategic techniques and practical solutions? 4. Have you surveyed them, reported back what the survey revealed and presented a plan? Balance isn’t 50/50. It’s dynamic and ever shifting.

Implementing family-friendly policies such as paid parental leave, childcare assistance, encouraging dads to take their full leave, can help alleviate the stress of some scheduling conflicts for working parents and promote a supportive work environment. Adopting initiatives and benefits that support the needs of working parents contributes to a more positive, productive, and inclusive workplace for everyone. And finally, survey your working parents and caregivers to hear directly from them, being mindful to report back survey findings and future plans for implementation.

At the end of the day, your work-life balance needs will be different than anyone else's. Therefore, the onus is on you not only to communicate the need but also to hold the boundary and protect it. I had a client whose manager repeatedly texted her and the team on Sunday mornings, wanting an update when he had been out of the office. After trying many things, my client expressed a willingness to catch him up on Fridays or first thing Monday because Sundays were the only day her family had together. She and her spouse worked different hours/shifts. Her text received several 👍🏽 from the team. And also, the respect of her manager and colleagues. Monday morning "catch-up" meetings began.

Consider the fact that your team is made up of people. Individuals who have families, perhaps caregiving responsibilities and more. Wanting the best from them means you will have to care about them. 73% of all Americans have some type of caregiving responsibility. Are you able to provide support in that area? Do you have a Working Parents/Caregivers ERG where they can find community? Is there support with burnout? The more you "see" them the more likely they are to stay and give you their best. Employees are 12x more likely to stay in these type of workplace environments.

Remember to make sure your skills and language are fresh and up to date. What is it that you are doing now? Has the technology changed in anyway? Do you need a refresher to update how the market is receiving your particular talents? While networking, LinkedIn, and peer connections are all important, make sure you are speaking the same language your ideal customer/client is speaking when you arrive at the networking event. Brush up on what’s important to them now. Keeping in mind that needs may have changed while you paused to care for your family. After my own stay-at-home pause, this piece was critical. Things change quickly. Be prepared.