Benefits and Importance of Work-Life Balance

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There are lots of strategies and work-life balance tips out there: Set Boundaries! Just Say No! Set Priorities! Take Breaks! These tips are grounded in good intentions and hold some gold on their own but may also sidestep the deeper questions that cause the best work-life balance action plans to fail.

Research indicates that a lack of balance between work and personal lives has serious consequences. Increased stress affects our health and our productivity, as shown in studies such as those by Marianna Virtanen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health[1]. Virtanen reports that problems caused by overwork can include impaired sleep, depression, heavy drinking, diabetes, impaired memory, and heart disease. Another risk to poor work-life balance may also lead to frustration at work, resulting in poor employee retention and general dissatisfaction, even among employees who love their careers. [2]

This is why many organizations seek to improve work-life balance for their employees. Tools such as flexible time, family leave, and smarter time management provide workers with more time at home, and help them work more efficiently when in the office. Many organizations consider work-life balance a “top priority” or “very important” [3].

HR Benefits and Importance of Work-Life Balance [4]

Better recruiting

The best recruits want to work for the best companies. Salary and benefits packages may convince them to work at a given company, but nothing sells the workplace better than meeting other employees who are happy and positive about where they work. Even employees who don’t need work-life benefits have a better view of their workplaces. Wendy Caspar writes in the Journal of Vocational Behavior that “the mediating effects of anticipated organizational support may explain why individuals who are unlikely to use work-life policies are still more inclined to pursue jobs with organizations that offer them.” [4]

More creativity

Employees who do nothing but sit at their desks all day rarely have the opportunity to discover ideas or meet people who can inspire new approaches to solving problems. It’s important to step away from the office for a while to breathe and see what other people want and what they are interested in.

Healthy means happy

When employees are sick, run-down, or haven’t slept well, they don’t have the energy or enthusiasm to excel at their jobs. When they have the time to rest, make a healthy dinner, and get enough sleep without worrying about missing something at the office, they will have better overall health. Even if an employee gets sick, they return sooner and feel happier to return to an understanding and supportive workplace.

Less burn-out

No one can survive a constant diet of stress. Even the most indefatigable employee loses the desire to come into work constantly. Sooner or later the crazy pace catches up, and when it does, it can feel like there are only choices: quit or go crazy. When employees know that the company is flexible, their jobs become even more valuable to them.

The company will grow

When employees are happy at work, they are more likely to stay and help the organization succeed. In addition, they are more positive when working with customers which means the company’s reputation improves. The results speak for themselves.

Work-Life Balance Example

Let’s look at a real-life example addressing the importance of work-life balance. Recently, a high-performing employee — Nina — came to my office for a coaching session. Nina had recently been given a high-visibility project to manage. She was doing well, so our sessions were usually future-focused and optimistic.

That day, though, Nina was in tears. She shared that she was overwhelmed by tasks and was staying at work late each night just to keep up. “I realize I need to sacrifice work-life balance right now, because this is a high-profile project,” she said. “But I need strategies for managing the work better given the hours I am keeping.”

It was time for Nina to question her assumptions about work-life balance. Many high-performers believe that during important projects, work should be at the forefront, and life must take second place until the project is over. This is the “ebb-flow” theory of work-life balance – sometimes, work comes first, sometimes life does.

There is a big flaw in this logic, though. Too much emphasis towards work — even for a few days — doesn’t give the brain time to process and rest. In her long hours, Nina was losing perspective – she was so busy thrashing through the trees that she was unable to see the larger forest. She needed to walk away from the trees to access that broader perspective.

In our session, I had Nina remember times when she got a new perspective on work while away from it. She shared a time when watching her child find a shortcut on a school assignment sparked her to look at a work task in a new way – the insight ended up saving her hours.

She also recalled seeing parallels between a challenge at work and a challenge faced by an organization she volunteers for – seeing the same problem in a different context helped her see new solutions. These memories reminded Nina of the power of getting away from the office to recharge and reframe.

Gaining perspective is a key benefit of work-life balance. Next time you are overwhelmed, try getting away from work to get a fresh view of it.

Work-Life Balance Tips for Employees

Pause to consider how your task or project could be approached differently. Sometimes, it is useful to pause and consider what larger problem a project is intended to address, and if the current approach is the most effective and efficient. Driving hard toward the goal may not be the best use of resources when it’s possible to move the goalpost and declare victory.
Be realistic about who really needs what and when. When considering which tasks to tackle, objectively evaluate the audience and the timing. Focus on the high-priority tasks with the largest impact, and let the others go. Often, tasks really do become “overcome by events”—learn which those most likely are, to make effective choices.
Identify tradeoffs and opportunity costs. Every hour spent doing one thing is time spent not doing another. What are you giving up— another project, a relationship, a break—to do what you are doing now? Consider instead what you will miss at home by spending an excess amount of time at work— what would you regret missing?
Practice saying “no” or “not now.” When seeking to improve your work-life balance, one of the best statements you can make is, “It would be irresponsible for me to take that on right now. Can we talk through other options?” It is hard for anyone to argue with you trying to be responsible, and the subsequent question opens the door to other ways to help. Saying no to a project or a person is an important step to restoring work-life balance.
Consider who may be able to help. Organizations are made up of lots of people with different skills and different obligations. What you dislike doing, someone else might enjoy. The reverse is also true. Building relationships with colleagues may provide options for completing the work—for both you and them—and building capacity.

Achieving work-life balance is not about perfecting a formula or following a rigid set of rules. It’s about understanding that balance is dynamic and requires regular reassessment of priorities, boundaries, and personal well-being. Ultimately, true balance enhances not only individual well-being but also the overall success and growth of the organization.