Leadership and Work-Life Balance: Solving the Free Time Dilemma

Earlier this year, Australia passed a national law that gives workers the right to disconnect during non-work hours.

It’s hard to argue that a law like this isn’t both welcome and necessary. After all, how many of us have had time with family or friends interrupted by an after-hours message or a request from a supervisor or coworker? It makes it impossible to separate work and personal life. And with the holidays looming, our time off is all the more precious. Many of us may wish we had the freedom to ignore those messages, or at least put off responding to them until we are “back on the clock.” 

That’s the intent of the Australian law.

As workers have struggled in vain to keep their work and personal lives separate, employers have used the long arm of technology—smartphones and email—to keep them connected. Work-life balance, a noble and admirable goal, sometimes feels like a lost cause. Lack thereof contributes to more stressed, anxious and burned-out employees. 

It’s why the Australian law holds such promise. 

Is a law needed to protect free time?

“As a native Australian, I totally understand the need to disconnect, to spend evenings with family, find quality time enjoy the great outdoors,” says Tim McCartney,
Senior Vice President, Asia-Pacific, for EZRA. 

As he is currently based in Singapore, Tim is accustomed to working early mornings and late evenings to accommodate the schedules of those based in Australia and the U.S. But he also wonders if the Australian law is the right answer for everyone. 

“Those working in multi-national companies or those who have cross-border responsibilities will likely struggle.”

Susan Montgomery, an EZRA coach in Australia, also welcomes the law, but her enthusiasm for it is tempered by the disappointment that it was needed in the first place.

“I thought it was interesting that we had to have a law to tell organisations to respect their employees and look after their well-being,” Susan says. “I’m interested to see what the impact will be.”

Leadership and work-life balance go hand-in-hand. And, while it remains to be seen if other nations will follow Australia’s lead, leaders don’t need to wait for the passage of new laws to improve work-life balance. There are steps they can take in separating work and personal life on their own to keep their people engaged and reduce their risk of anxiety and burnout. 

How to promote work-life balance as a leader

Set—and respect—boundaries

It sounds simple enough. Leaders should avoid contacting employees during non-work hours. Yet many leaders, whether intentionally or not, fail to respect that employees have lives outside of work.

“In many cases, it’s about the organisation’s culture,” says Susan. “In some organisations, even those that don’t operate across time zones or continents, the expectation is that employees should always be reachable.” 

Susan also acknowledges some individuals are willing to forego their free time in the interest of advancing in their careers. “By always picking up that call or email, they build a reputation as a go-to person willing to put the company first.” 

But while these individuals are willing to make this trade-off, Susan thinks leaders need to hold everyone to the same standard and resist the urge to contact their employees during non-work hours.

“Even when it seems like it’s an urgent matter at the moment, leaders usually realise it can wait until work hours.”

Set a schedule

Leaders with team members or colleagues who work in different time zones may need to put in a little extra effort to protect their free time and separate work and personal life. But the effort is worth it. 

Susan says leaders can initiate conversations with their people to determine the “off limits” hours when they won’t attempt to contact them. 

“Sit down with your people across the various locations and create an agreement for how everyone can work together. Then set a schedule to ensure work will get done and client needs will be met.”

While this can sometimes prove tricky, she insists the payoff, in the form of happier and more motivated employees, makes it worthwhile.

Model the behaviour

Just as leaders should respect their team members’ off-work time, they also should be protective of their own free time. In addition to helping pursue their own work-life balance goals, setting their own boundaries—and sticking to them—sends an important message to their people. 

“Modeling the right behaviour is important to creating a culture where people feel safe in not responding to messages or fielding work requests during their personal time,” Susan says. “Your people watch you and will follow your lead.” It’s a vital role of leadership in work-life balance initiatives.

Reaping the benefits

Whether it’s via a law like the one in Australia, or leaders acting themselves, respecting employees’ non-work hours is not just good for employees—it’s good for business.

“Business research tells us that burnout and stress are at epidemic levels,” says Tim. “And there are enormous positives to addressing it.”

Susan concurs.

“Organisations can be so laser-focused on efficiency and profitability. But if we just look after our people and allow them to rest and have downtime, they will be more engaged, and their performance will be better. 

“That’s good for everybody. Employees and businesses alike.”

For more leadership and workplace insights, check out the EZRA Asks podcast on most major podcast platforms. And discover how employees can start separating work and personal life with their own steps.