Here's how you can foster work-life balance within your organization as a Customer Experience leader.

Fostering work-life balance within your organization as a Customer Experience (CX) leader is essential for maintaining a healthy, productive, and motivated team. Here are some strategies to help you achieve this: Flexible Work Arrangements: Offer flexible work options such as remote work, flextime, and compressed workweeks. This allows employees to manage their personal and professional responsibilities more effectively. Set Clear Boundaries: Encourage your team to establish and communicate clear boundaries regarding their availability. Promote Open Communication: Foster a culture of open communication where employees feel comfortable discussing their work-life balance needs

I have always foster work-life balance as being crucial to my team I used to encourage them to shut off work-related emails after work hours. Reminding them that emails will still be there tomorrow,thus allowing people to disconnect and recharge is important! I initiate and show guidance to organize a to-do list by prioritizing tasks using the 4 quadrants principles (whether it is at work or at home) allowing also setting a calendar for regular family activities by exploring hobbies or interests that bring joy. Whether it’s singing,swimming or volunteering, find what makes life fun and fulfilling. Modeling work-life balance as a Leader sets a positive example for my team and i have contributed to a healthier workplace culture! Cheers :)

You have to put your own oxygen mask on first. Remind your team that if they don't prioritize their needs, no one else will. Encourage breaks, schedule down time after big launches, and if you can swing it, try to staff to 120% capacity. That gives you some much needed flex coverage for PTO and FMLA.

It's easy to get 1000% involved in customer service because you should be there for them 24/7, but NO. Total availability is not synonymous with better service or improved customer profitability. On the contrary, it demonstrates YOUR LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM. A good professional owes their clients good service, and for some, excellent service. But this does not mean always being available – YOU NEED TO BE AVAILABLE IN QUALITY, NOT IN QUANTITY. Even if the business is yours, don't think that being unavailable means losing a sale – it's usually about issues that don't turn into sales.

Fostering work-life balance as any leader (and even as any professional) requires setting clear boundaries. Encourage your team to establish defined work hours (as much as possible) and respect them, ensuring they switch off and recharge. Promote the importance of taking regular breaks and taking timeout and holidays. Lead by example, demonstrating a healthy balance yourself and create a culture where flexibility and well-being are prioritised. By valuing work-life balance, you not only enhance productivity and creativity but also build a more resilient and motivated team. The WFH culture now does make this more difficult but it can be done and done well still.

When I was a teenager, I decided that I wasn't going to work Sunday's. This wasn't for any religious reasons (I was an atheist rebellious phase) but I realized how much I hated working Sundays, and how much it burned me out. I've taken that through every job I've done up to this point. It's ok to set boundaries about when you will and will not work. Don't get upset if a team member enforces a boundary they've set, as long as it's reasonable.

Your teams no good if everyone is burned out. Make sure you are leaving space for your team member to take care of themselves. Something worth looking at is asking self-care questions during a regular 1-on-1 with your team members. This not only tells you whether your team is taken care of themselves, but it also gives you the chance to encourage self-care if they aren't already doing so.

One thing that I've observed, which is interesting, is that more middle managers are encouraging their teams to use up their PTO. Whether or not this is for purely selfless reasons, it helps build a culture where it's ok and approved to take care of yourself, which will go a long way to keeping you team healthy and functioning well.

Celebrate the little wins, especially if you work with people who experience high levels of negative emotions. The little, every-day wins that will support you and your team more than big achievements ever will.