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IN latest post on Reddit, a woman asked for advice: she and her partner, a technology CEO, were expecting their first child. She suggested to her partner that she take 4 weeks of parental leave. He said it was not possible. The comments weren’t surprising. Hire as much help as you possibly can! Outsource every little thing! This is a part of the package of marrying someone with such ambition.
It made me think about whether professional ambitions and personal life are really incompatible for entrepreneurs. Many professionals today seem to think so. AND 2024 Express Jobs Professionals Survey – Harris Poll found that one-third of employed U.S. job seekers (34%) say they are having to postpone starting a family due to a lack of work-life balance.
It doesn’t have to be this fashion. Leaders are responsible for establishing clear boundaries between work and personal life. From my experience as a CEO and founder Yot form, I consider that maintaining a work-life balance and knowing when to step back can enable you do your job higher and make your business even stronger. This is why.
Delegating makes your vision clearer and your workflow more efficient
Since founding my company, our team has grown from one team to 660 members and has over 25 million users worldwide. At the same time, my wife and I grew our family from zero to three children. I learned invaluable lessons along the way. One that stands out was when we were preparing to welcome our second child. I made a decision to take three full months of parental leave. I didn’t realize how much it could profit my business as well.
Tasked with delegating almost every aspect of my job, I had to take a step back and analyze my workflow. It helped me see unnecessary steps and tasks that may very well be automated or eliminated. It also made it clear to me that I used to be tackling tasks that other team members could do higher and more efficiently. For example, our director of product design took over reviewing product change designs via DMs and was able to devote much more time and attention to it than I did.
I also made it a habit to recall our company vision during weekly all-staff meetings, share upcoming updates and plans, and connect short-term team goals to our larger mission. This allowed team members to focus on the prize in my absence, and each day tasks became more vital. In fact, tests shows that ensuring employees feel valued and underpinned by the company’s vision is a “significant driver of revenue growth.” That’s a profit I would not have discovered if I hadn’t handed over the reins.
Prioritizing your personal life sets a strong example and attracts talented people
People not want to work for aloof, disconnected leaders – nor do they need to see heroes they can not relate to. This 12 months, Questionnaire commissioned by think tank New America found that 84% of U.S. adult streaming viewers wanted to watch more depictions of work-life balance (in addition to gender equality and family care), so much so that sincere depictions increased viewership and commitment.
The takeaway: People are more interested in experiences that resonate quite than not possible aspirations. That’s why I usually talk and write about my adventures with finding a balance between professional and private life. I need our team members to know that I understand the challenge of creating time for a personal life, but I also consider it is essential for long-term personal and professional development.
What’s more, research shows that today’s talent pool cares about work-life balance — even greater than compensation. This 12 months a Randstad study of over 27,000 employees in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas found that while 57% of employees wouldn’t accept a job if it had a negative impact on their work-life balance, 55% would refuse a job if it was not offered much higher pay.
Bottom line: Leaders who value their personal lives signal that additionally they care about their employees. Leaders who do not risk losing large numbers of potential employees.
Work-life balance limits job switching
It’s no secret that the economic climate is difficult for each job seekers and employers. However, Randstad study found that 37% of respondents would consider quitting their job if asked to spend more time in the office. This is a key statement for leaders as they rethink WFH policies as we transition to one other “new normal.”
Some experts, like an economics professor at Stanford University Nick Bloom, say, “Back to the office isn’t working.” However, I think the reality is more nuanced. Returning to the office doesn’t necessarily have to be a problem. It’s giving up a work-life balance that seemed a little easier to achieve when no one went to the office. To maintain worker satisfaction and prevent plummeting in the workplace (in addition to prevent people from leaving their jobs quietly), it is important to reveal your commitment to work-life balance whilst employees return to the office.
At Jotform, employees return to the office five days a week. However, we also encourage managers to be flexible in their approach to demands and responsibilities related to their personal lives. We have a clear communication policy – except in emergencies, employees are not expected to be available 24 hours a day. We want everyone to have a wealthy personal life and enough time to pursue their non-professional interests. Thanks to clear examples of holiday preparation (communication, preparation, delegation), team members feel comfortable fully testing themselves during their free time. These practices helped our company proceed to grow, even after transitioning to a fully office-based environment.
There are no hard and fast rules or exact percentages for achieving the right work-life balance. It depends on each worker and company. It’s a bit stressful for everyone on the team. The best a leader can do is make it clear that profession ambitions and personal lives are not diametrically opposed. You don’t have to choose from family planning and productivity. If the office has the right practices and procedures in place, each will be priorities.