Supporting Life Balance and Wellbeing: The Inclusive Leader’s Guide to Caring for Your Team

Life balance is a priority for most people and a key factor influencing engagement and productivity. Studies show that life balance is the major driver of job satisfaction, above pay. Yet as inclusive leaders, we often underestimate the profound impact we can have on our team members’ wellbeing simply by paying attention to their individual needs and circumstances.

I have a personal story that illustrates the power of this attention. Twenty years ago, I was working as a consultant for a European construction company. I had just returned from my third childbirth leave and was about to embark on a major training mission involving extensive travel. At an event at the client headquarters, I met the group’s CEO for the second time – a man at the top of an organisation with over 40,000 employees.

He remembered that I had just returned from childbirth leave and asked me: “How are you? How’s the baby? Do you have all the support you need at home and at work? What can I do to better support you in your mission? What do you need from me?” In only five minutes, I became his biggest fan. He showed that he cared about me as a person. He asked me questions that really mattered to me at that moment – questions that my line manager at the time had failed to ask.

This experience taught me something profound: when we show genuine care for people’s lives beyond work, we create powerful connections that enhance both wellbeing and performance.

Life Balance as an Inclusion Enabler

Life balance isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a huge enabler of inclusion. Different people tend to have different preferences for how they balance their work and life commitments. Research shows that certain groups particularly value virtual working: women, caregivers, disabled people, LGBTQ+ individuals, ethnic minorities, introverts, neurodivergent people, and those with lengthy commutes.

This isn’t about stereotyping – it’s about recognising that depending on who we are, our family situation, our personalities, and our life stage, we’ll require different arrangements to achieve good life balance and perform at our best. As inclusive leaders, we should pay particular attention to our team members’ life balance and flexibility needs and preferences.

The beauty of this approach is that it benefits everyone. When we create flexible, supportive environments that accommodate different needs, we’re not just helping specific groups – we’re creating conditions where all team members can thrive.

Asking the Right Questions

The key to supporting life balance is asking the right questions and genuinely listening to the answers. We can ask people individually what their life balance and flexibility needs are and adapt to them where possible. We never know what’s going on in people’s lives, so we need to be proactive.

Questions we can ask include: “Do you need more flexibility to do your job?” “How’s life balance for you right now?” “How can I better support you?” These simple questions open up conversations that can dramatically improve someone’s work experience.

We can also design our team routines and schedules collectively, in ways that suit most team members. This might involve rotating meeting times to accommodate different time zones, avoiding meetings too early or too late, perhaps establishing a meeting-free day, agreeing when to be in the office for hybrid teams, deciding when to text or phone someone if something is urgent, or clarifying expected response times for emails.

These conversations and agreements create a sense of shared ownership over how the team operates, whilst ensuring that different needs are accommodated.

The Mental Health Connection

When we notice a team member or colleague behaving in an unusual way, it’s time to check in. This is particularly important as we’re experiencing a mental health crisis at work, with growing numbers of people affected by depression, anxiety, and burnout.

The Nigerian-Canadian content creator Tobi Oluwole made a statement that went viral, seen by over 15 million people: managers can have a bigger impact on our mental health than our therapists and doctors. This highlights the enormous responsibility we have as leaders, but also the incredible opportunity to make a positive difference.

We can say things like: “How are you REALLY today?” “Is there anything I can do to help?” “I’ve noticed a change in you recently – is there anything I can do to support?” Sometimes just truly listening to people is enough to give them the emotional support they need.

We’re not robots. Life has ups and downs for everybody. It’s our human condition: divorce, grief, serious health problems, depression… When I first separated after a long marriage, I was a mess. Feeling safe to share that with my line manager and team at the time, and having their support, was amazing. It made an enormous difference to my ability to function and eventually recover.

Special Considerations for Different Groups

As inclusive leaders, we need to be mindful of situations where special attention is required:

Remote Workers: Working fully remotely comes with advantages and risks. There’s the risk of remote team members receiving less quality information compared to onsite team members, and a higher risk of feelings of isolation and lack of belonging. Remote team members might also be overlooked for promotions and other career opportunities. We need to be even more intentional about treating these team members inclusively and equitably.

First, Few, and Onlies: Yvette Steele talks about the “First, Few and Onlies” or FFOs in her book “Impactful Inclusion Toolkit.” She explains how they find themselves in a perpetual state of educating coworkers or performing on behalf of their group. It’s harder to feel that we belong as an FFO. We need to be mindful without being overprotective, as overprotection can be stigmatising and reinforce stereotypes that certain individuals are less capable.

During Societal Events: Companies aren’t cut off from society. More and more people expect a response from their leaders when important events happen outside work that affect their communities. We can check in with people potentially affected by saying, “I’m sorry about what’s happening – how can I support?” We can also send notes. For instance, during the far-right riots in the UK, I know of senior leaders who not only sent out internal notes in support of employees with immigrant and Muslim backgrounds but also checked in individually with close team members.

Creating a Culture of Care

Supporting life balance and wellbeing isn’t about having all the answers or solving everyone’s problems. It’s about creating a culture where people feel seen, heard, and cared for. It’s about recognising that our team members are whole human beings with lives, challenges, and needs beyond their job descriptions.

This approach requires us to be vulnerable and authentic ourselves. When we share our own struggles appropriately, we give others permission to do the same. When we acknowledge that we don’t have perfect work-life balance either, we create space for honest conversations about what everyone needs to thrive.

The ripple effects of this approach extend far beyond individual wellbeing. When people feel supported and cared for, they’re more likely to be engaged, creative, and committed. They’re also more likely to extend that same care to their colleagues, creating a positive cycle throughout the organisation.

The Business Case for Caring

Some might argue that focusing on life balance and wellbeing is soft leadership, but the evidence suggests otherwise. When people feel supported in their whole lives, they perform better at work. When they feel their leaders care about them as people, they’re more likely to go above and beyond in their roles.

Moreover, in today’s competitive talent market, life balance and wellbeing support are increasingly important factors in attracting and retaining top talent. People want to work for leaders and organisations that care about them as human beings, not just as resources to be optimised.

As inclusive leaders, we have the opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives whilst also driving better business outcomes. By asking the right questions, listening deeply, and responding with genuine care, we create environments where everyone can thrive.

Thanks for reading – Let’s keep shining the inclusion light together! ✨

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This article is adapted from my upcoming book “Practising Inclusive Leadership”.

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