Work-life balance is often used to describe a trade-off. You balance professional demands with the responsibilities of everyday life, with most people anticipating a 50-50 split between the two.  It sounds simple enough, so why are 66% of employees still striving to achieve it? Well, it turns out that spending half your waking hours at work and the other half with friends and family just isn’t practical on a day-to-day basis. 

Instead, work often takes precedence over everything else, especially now that people are trying to financially recover from the pandemic. These days, droves of workers are clocking overtime, taking on extra responsibilities and catching up on tasks over weekends. With little time for anything else, these employees often struggle to find a balance between their career and their personal life. 

Eventually, some of your hardest-working and most productive employees may burn out and quit. Then, you’ll be tasked with finding another talented individual to take their place. 

Why not invest in the staff you already have by encouraging a healthier work-life balance? Help your team achieve great things — at work and at home — with the following tips. 

1. Offer Flexible Scheduling

Half of working Americans are looking to make a career change, and 41% say it’s because they want flexible or remote work schedules. That said, offering these options to your staff might be a good way to retain top talent and encourage a healthier work-life balance. Perhaps employees can choose to work from home one or two days a week or maybe they can work remotely and create their own schedule. Either way, providing at least some flexibility is key to keeping your employees healthy and happy. 

2. Prioritize Mental Health

The prevalence of depressive symptoms more than tripled during the pandemic, leaving many Americans feeling downtrodden and exhausted. Odds are you have a few such individuals on your team, even if they haven’t disclosed their mental health issues. That’s why it’s so important to prioritize mental health at work. Encourage people to speak up when they’re struggling, allow them to take mental health days or work with staff individually to figure out how to better support them. Empathy and transparency will make all the difference here. 

3. Introduce New Hobbies

Hobbies are an essential part of a meaningful life. Yet, many people consider them a waste of time. Even so, partaking in creative endeavors can help people relieve stress, reduce tension and even improve problem-solving skills. Hobbies support a healthier mind and body, so why not introduce some new ones to your team? Host after-hours workshops for people who want to learn to knit, dance, paint and more. The more opportunities you provide, the more apt they’ll be to participate and reap the benefits. 

4. Encourage Mindfulness

Yoga and meditation workshops are a great idea, too, but you don’t have to commit an hour to these mindful practices for them to work. Even a few minutes of deep-breathing exercises can help employees relax and reset throughout their shift. These activities encourage mindfulness, which can help you learn to be more present. Ultimately, this skill allows employees to fully enjoy their breaks and time off so they can achieve a healthier work-life balance. 

5. Provide Vacation Time

Speaking of time off, you should consider offering more of it to your employees. Studies show that those who take regular vacations have greater job satisfaction. Creating and recalling lasting, positive memories can also relieve stress, anxiety and depression. All of these benefits can help employees achieve a healthier balance between their personal and professional lives. Plus, you’ll get more productive, creative team members, in return. Hats off to you if you provide paid time off, too!

Strive for Progress, Not Perfection

Dolly Parton said it best: Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life. 

There’s no such thing as a perfect work-life balance, but you can certainly encourage a healthier one. Better yet, as the employer, you can provide many more opportunities for staff to achieve their version of a healthy balance. Release the all-or-nothing mentality and do what you can with what you have. Odds are you, your employees and your business will benefit as a result.