Work Life Balance

It’s 2021 and the number one resolution that we find people are making is to have a better “work/life balance.”  But, according to corporate executive, Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, there is no such thing.  In her book Lean In, she writes, “There’s work and there’s life and there’s no balance.”  When the executives of the company continue to say “Do as I say, not as I do,” for their companies, the expectations on team members won’t change, either.  So, how will HR professionals help create a better corporate culture when leaders don’t set the example for everyone in the company?

It begins with understanding differences.  Not everyone understands “work and play” in the same ways.  For some people work is play and for others play is work.  The best way to build a better corporate culture is to recognize these differences and create a culture that values the unique ways in which employees engage, communicating that these differences are welcomed and embraced.  It means creating a “judgment-free zone,” where the bottom line is about whether or not the team member got the job done within the expected time frame.  

For a person who tends to have a primary ORANGE tendency, they may wait until the last minute, living “life” in the meantime, but they always deliver a great product right on time.  Their idea of work/life balance may be different than someone with a GOLD tendency.  The primary GOLD person will operate from a work/life attitude of ensuring that they start work at 9 AM and will organize every minute of their workday to be sure they deliver at the exact time expected, before 5:00 PM.  They see that as work and life will come later.  That doesn’t mean one way of working is better than the other, it just means they approach the work/life balance differently.  

Building a culture around a work/life balance that assumes everyone approaches work and life, in the same way, diminishes the gift of diversity that exists within every corporate culture.  That’s why it’s important to understand how each person approaches work/life and allows the team members to operate from their strengths.  This will create a corporate culture that honors and trusts team members to use their greatest skills for the company’s benefit on their own time and in their own way.

2020 created a new dimension of work/life balance when corporations sent a majority of their team home to work.  Let True Colors help you create a new culture for your company that values the differences and creates a different expectation for unity in the work/life balance for your team.  Discovering their strengths and understanding their approach to this balance will show your team members how much you really care.  Schedule a consultation with a True Colors team member today.