We’re big on LWB (life-work balance) here at NGC. We have a nap room (though it’s rarely used). Our annual performance plans include a section on wellbeing. Most of us have five weeks of paid time off. And one of my favorite check-in lines with my teammates is, “How’s your balance?” (The responses are far more interesting than the ones you get when you ask, “How’s it going?”)
It takes a lot of intention - and aligned actions - to make a great place to work. But boy, is it worth it!
Today, a few of us went to lunch. (Thanks for taking the pic, Joe!)
It was 75 and sunny in Madison, so we chose a place where we could sit outside. We ordered sangria. A pitcher of sangria. And we talked about how badly we felt that our friends who work other places don’t have the perks we do.
Truth is, nearly any organization could offer the perks we do. But they don’t. Many leaders think that being ‘talent friendly’ means that profits would slide. Managers don’t feel they can ‘loosen up’ or performance would dip. They’re wrong. You can have both happy people and great profits. We do. And so do lots and lots of other workplaces. (We call them “Next Companies.”)
Nearly every workplace could have both high performance and high fulfillment if their leaders stopped asking “Why?” and started asking “Why not?”
So let me ask, how’s your balance?
