Finding Harmony: Nurturing Work/Life Balance at Human Element

Our Second Core Value:
Encourage Work/Life Balance

Human Element is a team of multi-talented folks who love to pursue interests like music, theater, fitness, home remodeling projects, and more. In a world where the lines between your job and personal life can blur, especially in a virtual working environment, it’s essential to create space for family, friends, and hobbies outside of working hours. So we make it a priority to provide time for the rejuvenation, growth, and connection that can happen when we fully disconnect from work and give ourselves time to recharge.

The Guiding Principle:
We foster an environment that encourages employees to pursue their interests inside and outside of work.

Here’s how we put this core value into action:

Core Value: Encourage Work/Life Balance

  • Taking time off to stay refreshed: We understand the importance of downtime. Whether it’s a long weekend getaway or a mid-week mental health day, we encourage our team members to take the time they need to recharge and return to work with renewed energy and focus.
  • Supporting others’ time off: Recognizing that everyone’s needs are unique, we actively support and encourage our colleagues when they choose to take time off. By fostering a culture of mutual support, we prioritize finding backup for folks when they’re out of the office so they don’t spend time worrying about their work responsibilities while they’re off. We create a workplace where individuals feel valued and respected.
  • Prioritizing evenings and weekends: Your time outside of work is just as important as your time in the office. We encourage our team members to prioritize their evenings and weekends for themselves and their families, ensuring a healthy balance between work and personal life.
  • Respecting boundaries: We understand the temptation to check emails or respond to messages outside of traditional working hours, but we also recognize the importance of setting boundaries. We don’t expect responses to messages after hours, allowing our team members to fully disconnect and recharge.
  • Embracing social connections: Work isn’t just about tasks and deadlines; it’s also about the relationships we build along the way. From social hours to team-building activities, we make it a priority to create regular, scheduled opportunities for our team to connect, have fun, and foster meaningful relationships beyond work projects.
  • Minimizing distractions: To support focused work, we encourage minimizing distractions and creating an environment conducive to productivity. Whether that’s by blocking off a chunk of time on the calendar for heads down work, or muting a Slack channel in order to knock out a high priority task, reducing interruptions is key so our team can better concentrate on their tasks and accomplish their work effectively.
  • Planning ahead and managing time: Effective time management is key to maintaining a healthy work/life balance. We empower our team members to plan ahead, manage their calendars efficiently, and prioritize tasks, ensuring they can achieve their professional goals without sacrificing personal time.
  • Extending a helping hand: We believe in the power of collaboration and community. When our team members have availability, we encourage them to reach out and offer assistance to colleagues who may need support, fostering a culture of teamwork and mutual respect.

At Human Element, we recognize that true success extends beyond the workplace. By embracing and encouraging work/life balance, we not only support the well-being and happiness of our team members but also foster a culture of creativity, innovation, and excellence.

Picture of Tracie Wolfe

Tracie Wolfe

Tracie is Human Element's director of Human Resources and has over 25 years of HR experience. She is extremely passionate about our humans and for cultivating a culture that we can all thrive in. Tracie has served on the board of directors for two SHRM chapters and has been heavily involved in the Michigan HR community. She is an expert in all realms of HR and has an extensive background in developing employees as well as organizations.
Share the Post:

Like what you’re reading?

Get access to our newsletter for occasional eCommerce news and insights. Opt out at any time by unsubscribing.