Thinking a company culture change is in order? You’re not alone. Many managers are wondering how they can make adjustments to policy that will benefit both the employer and employee, while addressing one of the most popular objectives in talent retention: the work-life balance. Here’s a few ways you can achieve this coveted goal:

1. Flexible work schedule. This practice has really gained popularity in the last few years and with good reason. Offering schedule flexibility is a really smart way to retain top talent. By allowing employees to accommodate personal demands to their schedule, and work when they are at their most focused/productive, you can increase their commitment to the company. How can you argue against that? The most common pushback against this practice has been the fear that employees would take advantage of it but there has yet to be a major study supporting that fear. In fact, most companies have reported favorable results. Give it a shot.

2. Sick pay? Vacation pay? No. Offer general PTO to allow employees the freedom to take time off on their own terms. In fact, some companies allow an even more flexible time off plan by offering unlimited time off (if work is completed or projects are on course, of course). You’d be surprised what you can offer while remaining in compliance and meeting productivity goals.

3. Upper-level managers: stop checking your email on vacation! It suggests to your employees that they also should not be relaxing on their own vacations. That’s not right. Only answer emergencies and always encourage your employees to leave the email alone when they should be unplugging.

4. Accommodate unexpected hurdles. Unfortunately your employees will have difficult personal experiences over the course of their career. It’s unrealistic to expect otherwise and therefore not offer some sort of support. An unpaid leave policy could be the answer to a great employee being able to return to work after an unexpected personal event that demands their full attention. Explore this option.

5. Team building events! Seriously, allowing time for the team to bond and blow off steam in a productive manner can make a huge difference in their productivity and loyalty to the business. Don’t have time to plan? Take it to a team of professionals or task a team from within. You’ll be surprised what they come up with!

Like some of these idea but not sure how to implement them successfully? Let Eos HR help you! We can make sure new plans are the right fit for your business model, leading to a happier team and a happier bottom line!