Work-life balance is something many people talk around, but few actually consciously work towards a healthy one. In past generations, work-life balance wasn’t even a concept. You worked. You came home and took care of your home life. Baby Boomers might have been ones that turned the tide. Baby Boomers worked hard to create stability out of a hard life. Their children, Gen Xers, didn’t want their own children to grow up with absentee parents. It was this generation that had to prioritize a work-life balance. Millennials have their own challenges, such as high student debt and rising housing costs.

What Does a Work-Life Balance Look Like?

Every person defines work-life balance differently. Essentially, it’s about having time allocated for work and having time set aside for other pursuits, family, social and hobbies. It’s not always about having equal hours for each, but it is about planning time for healthy activities outside of work. When a person’s work-life balance is out of whack for a long time, it can lead to burnout, stress, depression and a lack of productivity at work.

How Can Employers Help Employees With Work-Life Balance?

Employers have to be concerned with making sure employees have a good balance between work and life. Stressed employees aren’t customer-focused. Burned out employees want to leave your business, increasing your employee costs. Unhappy employees aren’t as productive.

Although you can try to think up ideas that make for a happier workplace, such as ping-pong tables or free coffee, the best way to help your employees is to ask them what they need. Maybe it’s flex-time, or telecommuting. Your employees may just need the ability to take vacations without being needed. Creating a positive workplace goes a long way toward helping employees manage work-life. But it starts from the top.

Contact JNI Lending for information about financing your business needs to find your own work-life balance.