If you have ever heard the famous Mark Twain quote, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” you know how it holds true today in maintaining a work-life balance. We know this better than anyone at Critical Connexion, as our employees all work from home and, in turn, need to balance their workday with their life’s responsibilities.

When your job is in the same place where you do laundry, cook meals, and watch Netflix, finding the perfect balance between your work life and personal life can be challenging. At Critical Connexion, we are constantly promoting a healthy balance between our employees’ professional lives and their personal lives.

In fact, our VP of Operations, Mach Molina, was asked a very difficult question in a recent interview – “What is your message to the world?” How would you answer that prolific question? Mach’s answer was actually pretty simple: he said it was to uphold a work-life balance for all of our employees.

This was the vision of our founders, Ron McNair, CEO, and Roger Gonzales, COO – they formed a positive culture and the work-balance concept as a way to spur a healthy, nurturing, and prosperous environment within Critical Connexion. Because of this vision of both Roger and Ron, we have employees who are happy to work for our company and are motivated to make a positive impact for our clients.

Due to the work of both Roger and Ron, we try to encourage our employees to take certain steps to ensure they enjoy what they are doing at work while also balancing their family, hobbies, and fun. This is how we maintain a positive culture at Critical Connexion.

Believe it or not, we spend at least one-third of our lives working. This means if you are miserable in your job, you are miserable for at least one-third of your life! At Critical Connexion our main core value is promoting a healthy work-life balance. But how? Here are four tips we use at Critical Connexion:

1. Have Your Employees Set Specific Work Hours

We know how hard it is to unplug when you work from home – you get up at 6 a.m., make coffee, and start your day. The next thing you know, you’ve sat in front of your computer for 10 hours, it is now evening, and you haven’t unplugged. Overworking from home is very common, which is why we encourage our employees to have a set work schedule just like they would if they were working in the office.

Make sure your employees have set specific work hours and they have made their co-workers and manager aware of them. That way, they won’t feel compelled to answer an email at 8:30 p.m. because a manager doesn’t realize their day is done for the day.

Setting specific work hours and communicating them is particularly important if you have offices across the globe. At Critical Connexion, we have employees who work in different times zones all over the world. This means communicating work hours through a shared calendar is that much more important. We recommend having your employees document their work hours in a shared calendar app so that they can unplug when their day is done and enjoy their personal life without the pressure to overwork.

2. Encourage Employees to Schedule Breaks Throughout the Day

Taking time away from your desk is vital for a healthy work-life balance. As a business owner, you should always encourage your employees to take regular breaks throughout the day.

This is more than just taking the typical lunch break – encourage your employees to take additional “mini-breaks” for a walk outside, meditation, a quick workout, or even taking the time to get some personal chores done.

Our President of Critical Connexion Philippines, Bambi Cuna, explained in a recent interview how he starts his day with meditation and working out. He also encourages a “lighter” work atmosphere so that his employees avoid burnout. Not only does taking breaks prevent burnout, but they will also increase the productivity of your employees.

We have found that taking breaks is particularly important for employees who work from home. When you’re sitting alone in front of a computer all day, you don’t have the luxury of having a cup of coffee with a colleague, meeting around the water cooler for a quick chat, or having an impromptu conversation about your favorite binge-watching show.

You can lead by example by teaching your employees how to set a dedicated time for a lunch break and then also scheduling mini breaks throughout the day.

3. Have Employees “Dress” for Work and Go to Designated Workspace

Just because your employees work from home doesn’t mean they should be working in their pjs in their bedroom. The best way to transition from work life to personal life is getting dressed for work and going to a home office. That way, you will know when the workday is done because you can leave the office, get changed into comfy clothes, and enjoy the evening.

We had a colleague who explained how he would sit in bed, have his coffee, and answer his emails. This practice soon turned into writing documents, taking calls, and even having Zoom meetings – all from his bedroom! He soon realized he couldn’t successfully balance his work and life when he never left his bedroom. He quickly changed his routine – now he starts his morning on the treadmill, showers, gets dressed for work in business clothes, and then goes to an appropriate area of his home that he turned into a dedicated work office. He is happier and less stressed just by making these small changes. When his workday is done, changing from his work clothes back into home clothes helps him relax and enjoy his personal time.

We always remind our employees to treat their home office like an actual work environment. That way, they can make a clear distinction between work and leisure. If you don’t have a separate room to turn into an office, you can still create a workspace that is organized and free of distractions. Having a space in your home that is used exclusively for work is one of the most important ways to finding a work-life balance.

4. Encourage Employees to Establish Work and Life Goals

Our final tip is promoting the establishment of both work and life goals. Have your employees ask themselves what their daily priorities are at work and the deadlines that need completed and then document them each day. This could be done with a planner (either paper form or online) that lists the day’s work goals that can be crossed off when completed. That way, they aren’t taking too much on because we all know how hard it is to say “NO.”

You should also encourage your employees to write down their life goals, whether they are daily, weekly, or monthly. This could be making plans to meet a friend for lunch, attending a Pilates class, or walking your dog. They could also be larger life goals like taking that dream vacation!

Scheduling time for hobbies and interests is just as important as scheduling time for meetings and work deadlines. If you see your employees are working too long, let them know it is okay to take time for something fun!

Achieving a Healthy Work-Life Balance is the Key to Success

Finding a work-life balance is imperative for our overall well-being. By leading by example and promoting a work-life balance in your company, you will find it will increase productivity, reduce stress, increase job satisfaction, and improve the overall physical and mental health of your employees.

Remember what we said in the beginning of this blog – we work at least one-third of our lives! Therefore, finding a healthy work-life balance is the key to both personal and professional success. Achieving a healthy work-life balance will help both you and your employees live a happier and more fulfilling life.

About Critical Connexion:

Critical Connexion is a distinguished business management & consulting firm that focuses on leveraging a foundation of leading finance, HR management, strategic sourcing, risk & operations experts to accelerate brand success for clients.

We specialize in navigating the evolving landscape of corporate growth by adeptly addressing changing systems, process, and people requirements. Recognizing the substantial nature of technology and changing business needs, we ensure that these resources are directed with foresight and expertise. We are your extended partners for business growth, scaling seamlessly and brand elevation.

Contact Us:
Ph: 213-798-6676
Email: [email protected]