Work-Life Balance – Don’t Fall Into the Gap Between Policy and Practice

In the HR community, we’ve understood for years that work-life balance is a key factor in why people choose to stay in or leave a job.

As a result, we’ve helped our organizations put policies into place to support good work-life balance. Some of these are long-standing initiatives. Others have been in response to the pandemic, when the issue rose to crisis levels as health care workers and those in other front-line professions worked crushingly long hours.

Why, then, with all these policies in place does it seem so many organizations continue to get feedback from employees on the terrible work-life balance they are experiencing?

One answer might lie in the gap between policy and practice. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” Does that apply to you? To the leaders in your organization?

 Lately, I’ve been noticing where there might be a disconnect between policy and practice.

 ·      The policy: Generous vacation. The practice: Team members feel they can never really totally disconnect, and need to check emails and participate in “important” meetings while out of the office.

·      The policy: Remote work. The practice: Although in theory remote work offers flexibility to employees to plan their days, the reality feels to many as though they need to be available 24-7. The anticipated “bonus time” gained by not commuting has for some people, been absorbed into their work day.

·      The policy: Parental leave. The practice:  Although many organizations offer paternity leave, the percentage of men taking advantage of these policies is low.

·      The policy: Workplace wellness options. The practice: Unbalanced workloads cause team members to eat their cafeteria’s “healthy choice” lunch at their desk, once again skipping a lunchtime walk.

You can probably think of many other instances where the goal and the reality just don’t line up. It’s not that the policies weren’t well-intentioned. Instead, I believe it is based on this fact – we all study our leaders for clues on how to behave in the work place. Yes, we listen to their words. More importantly, we watch their actions.

Closing the gap between policy and practice as it relates to work-life balance requires leadership on the part of individuals and organizations. True change starts when leaders take the time to understand what individuals on their team are experiencing. Leaders must also step up to coaching those team members who are delivering great results, but are in danger of burning themselves out. They need coaching from their leaders as much as an underperforming teammate.

However, I think one of the key ways we as leaders can support good work-life balance for our teams can be found in Mr. Emerson’s observation. We must truly be role models for good work-life balance. How you prioritize your own work-life balance says a lot. If you disconnect while on vacation or stop emailing after 6 p.m. team members will notice the connection between what you say is important and what you actually do. If you promote a father recently back from paternity leave, you’ll send a message that your organization genuinely encourages men to take leave.  

Your team is watching you and the other leaders in your organization. What are you really saying about work-life balance?