During the school holidays I am fortunate enough to enjoy a great blend of time between work and personal life. It usually works out well. But there have been times when it wasn’t so seamless, and it always gets me thinking about juggling work and personal lives for employers and employees. So, here are some thoughts and ideas for striking a ‘give and take’ balance that creates a strong platform for harmonising work and home in our ever-changing, seemingly overly busy lives.
Support employees to plan for what they need
It can feel overwhelming sometimes to organise and prioritise a variety of needs over the extended summer period and then equally difficult to ask employers for help. So help employees get clear about what they need early on and then you can be sure that what you offer is helpful.
Observe the statutory obligations as a minimum standard
Statutory obligations are minimal for a reason. Think about how to meet both the needs of your customers and the needs of the employees who serve those customers. People who feel valued and appreciated produce higher quality work and service levels.
Include well-being in your family friendly thinking
Caring for an elderly relative, supporting a sick spouse, becoming a new parent, adjusting to new school arrangements, researching universities, responding to special care needs, going through divorce, among many other needs, all evoke emotional stress over and above practical, logistical demands. This eats personal energy, not just time. So, when you’re thinking family friendly, think about supporting and educating people about how to manage stress, or meet personal needs. Sometimes it’s not just time off that’s needed.
Train your line managers to be open-minded and supportive
So many times, I have witnessed an escalation that could have been prevented with some education for, and empathy from, the first line manager.
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