A Different Take on Work Life Balance

Sunday Tip Volume 4

And we are back!! I’m sure y’all missed me desperately last Sunday, but, truth be told, my family took a little get away last weekend. The trip got me thinking about my career in food service and how difficult it was to just pick up and go for a few days and get the chance to unplug.

Hence, this week’s tip, balancing work and life. Here are some stats to kick us off:

A significant majority of employees in the United States, typically between 72% and 94%, say that work-life balance is important.

Specific survey findings show this consistently high valuation:

• A 2025 Randstad report found that 83% of employees in the Americas (including the US) prioritize work-life balance over pay.

• A 2024 survey cited that 94% of employees consider work-life balance to be important, and 73% view it as a core factor when looking for a job.

• Another survey noted that 72% of workers believe a good work-life balance is essential when choosing a job.

• Over half (61%) of employees would decline a job offer if it negatively impacted their work-life balance.

The importance of work-life balance varies slightly by demographics:

• Women (78%) are more likely than men (67%) to say work-life balance is a crucial factor in their career choices.

Despite this, many employees report not achieving a good balance, with 66% of full-time workers stating they lack it.

I believe the reason workers feel they lack balance is that “work/life balance” is the wrong way to approach the desired balance. Our work is a major part of our lives, the people we work with and the work we do, become part of our lives. So how can you separate the two? For those who’ve watched Severance, well, maybe it’s possible. But for you and me, well, it’s very difficult.

What I am suggesting is to balance your work life, and balance your personal life as two different tasks.

How? It’s all about owning your time and knowing when to say no. Whichever is your last day of your work week, instead of rushing to get out the door, take 15 minutes to look at the upcoming week and fill your calendar with tasks you have to accomplish. To-do lists are so 1980! By doing this, you keep your calendar from being “hijacked”, trust me, I learned this lesson way too late.

The next “time vampire” is meetings. I swear people schedule meetings so they appear to be busy. I’ve heard countless people say, “My calendar is jammed with meetings this week”. Do they ever ask, “what is being accomplished?” If you have to attend a meeting has an agenda been sent out? Is there a desired outcome or resolution? Could you send someone in your place not only freeing up your time but providing a developmental opportunity for someone? And just because someone else is late doesn’t mean the meeting goes longer, the timely are being penalized. Rarely are decisions made at meetings, is it really that important to go to all of them?

And if you have to hold a meeting, can it be done with fewer people who, as part of their job, deliver the message to their teams? I strongly encourage meetings first thing in the morning, before people go their offices/stations and before the day goes off the rails. What? That never happens……….

The last thing I’ll touch on is emails. The amount, the redundancy, the speed at which they arrive is enough to go take a timeout in the corner! My dear friend Lin had the 3 email rule. If I email you, you email me, and then I email you again and there is no clarity, it is time to pick up the phone or visit in-person. And please, if you are not on the “to” line, don’t respond unless asked. Here are some other rules to keep in mind:

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/emailing/email-etiquette-rules-to-know

These are just a few ideas to help you manage work time, and yes, things are not always in your control, but they are always manageable. Don’t wear the hours you work like a badge of honor. Many of us know the stigma of being the “go to person”. The one that never says no. And yet all too often when we finally say no, we often hear that we are not engaged anymore or what’s the matter of so-and-so. You should want to share how wonderful your life outside of work is with your co-workers as you share your work with your loved ones.

As always, thanks for reading and please comment, make suggestions for new topics and share this with others.

Be kind to everyone you meet.