Your employees are overworked and stressed. How can you help them achieve work-life balance?

To support overworked and stressed employees in achieving work-life balance, it’s essential to foster a culture that values rest as much as productivity. Encourage regular breaks throughout the day to recharge, and advocate for clear boundaries between work and personal time. Implement flexible working hours and remote work options to allow employees to manage their schedules better. Offer workshops on time management and stress reduction techniques. Recognize and reward efficient work rather than long hours. By prioritizing employee well-being, you’ll cultivate a healthier, more balanced workforce that can sustain high performance without burnout.

Validate the work load with the team. Review together to discover/determine if there’s a better way to manage workload and timeline. Offer to take on part of the load in order to complete the project on time. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle of all this. Some players have more on their plate than can be delivered in time. Some are resting more than might be acceptable. The solution is in your willingness to do some of their work. Those who are slacking, but offload their work will soon ponder if their position might be in jeopardy if you indeed out perform them. An employee come to me saying they were ahead of schedule and could take on a bit more. One came to me saying they thought they could now complete the work they gave me.

Providing training and development opportunities can help employees improve skills and advance their careers, reducing stress and enhancing work-life balance. Offering access to online courses or certifications can empower employees to grow professionally while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Tailoring training programs to individual interests and goals shows employees that their well-being is valued, fostering a positive work environment. Implementing mentoring or coaching programs can provide support and guidance, helping employees manage work demands while prioritizing personal well-being. By investing in training and development initiatives, businesses can create a culture that promotes work-life balance.

This should arguably be the first step you take when your employees are overworked and stressed. There are so many solutions available now for streamlining tasks and processes, so it's your obligation as the business owner to find opportunities that will help your employees work more efficiently. Take the time to have 1:1 conversations with them and understand what exactly is leading to them feeling overworked and stressed. More often than not, there is a bottleneck that you as the owner can find a solution for to ease up their workloads.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE ...IS VS. ISN'T • Saying "no" to tasks that don't align with your priorities • Making time for self-care activities outside of work • Setting limits on time you spend working • Taking breaks and using PTO • Approaching yourself with compassion & flexibility • Prioritizing work over personal relationships and well-being • Checking emails and work notifications during personal time • Working long hours without taking breaks • Engaging in unhealthy coping mechanisms • Approaching yourself with criticism & rigidity @CAROLYNRUBENSTEINPHD

Lead by example….. It’s really hard for your staff to believe that it’s ok for them to take a sick day or leave work on time when you’re always coming in sick or complaining about staying back. If the person that they aspire to emulate is achieving a balance between work and home and succeeding, they will see that as permission to do the same.