Is Work-Life Balance a Myth for Your Leadership Team? (Only If You Let It Be)
Let’s be honest: when someone says “work-life balance,” most human services leaders either:
Laugh,
Cry,
Or mutter, “Must be nice…” while refreshing their inbox.
The idea of true balance — especially for frontline supervisors, program directors, or anyone above them — can feel about as real as a mermaid running payroll.
And look, I get it. You don’t want supervisors who bail the second the clock hits 5:00. You want commitment. You want people who care.
But here’s the problem: if the “only the strong survive” mentality becomes your unspoken culture, you’re not building resilience.
You’re building a burnout machine.
And no one’s sticking around for that.
The Real Enemy: Accidental Burnout Culture
At one agency, every leadership meeting started with one question:
“How many hours did you work this week?”
Not asked out of concern. Asked like it was a game of toxic productivity poker.
One manager worked 70 hours.
Another hadn’t taken PTO since before TikTok was invented.
A third prided herself on eating lunch during supervision meetings because “there’s just no time.”
Fast forward 6 months?
Two resignations.
One medical leave for stress.
And the rest of the team hanging on by a caffeine-soaked thread.
It wasn’t a people problem. It was a system problem.
And the good news? Systems can be changed.
Here Are 5 Ways to Make Work-Life Balance Realistic — Even in Human Services
These aren’t silver bullets. But they are practical, doable, and proven in the real world of messy programs, tight budgets, and endless audits.
1. Make Boundaries a Leadership Skill — Not a Perk
We say we want emotionally intelligent leaders. Well, emotionally intelligent leaders know when they’re running on empty.
If your exec team sends emails at 2 AM, it tells everyone else:
“This is what leadership looks like.”
Better idea:
Use tools like Boomerang or Outlook’s delay-send to schedule emails during business hours.
Normalize offline time. Brag about it.
Yes, brag about being healthy — we’ve tried bragging about burnout. Didn’t work.
2. Build in Off-Switch Systems
Boundaries work best when they’re backed by actual structure.
Imagine implementing a “Do Not Disturb” hour for managers every morning.
Phones off. Doors closed. No new fires.
It would probably be awkward at first.
But within a month?
Fewer missed deadlines.
Happier supervisors.
And shockingly… fewer fires.
Systems protect sanity. Period.
3. Normalize PTO (and Create Coverage that Actually Works)
Ever hear this?
“I’d love to take time off, but it’s more stressful trying to prep for it.”
Yeah, that’s a red flag.
If no one can truly disconnect, it means your leadership pipeline is too fragile.
Which is ironic, because the whole point of a strong leadership team is redundancy, right?
Try a rotating “coverage buddy” system. Or cross-train your mid-level leaders to pinch-hit when someone’s out.
Start small — even a one-day PTO that doesn’t involve frantic prep work is a win.
4. Trim the Fat on Your Leaders’ To-Do Lists
Here’s a little exercise:
Ask every manager to list out everything they’re responsible for.
Then ask:
What actually drives outcomes?
What’s on there because “we’ve always done it”?
What could be delegated, simplified, or even automated?
You might find out your supervisors are spending 3 hours a week on reports that no one reads.
Or sitting through meetings that could have been a 4-line email.
Don't just manage performance. Manage bandwidth.
5. Prioritize Micro-Recoveries, Not Just Vacations
We love the idea of a vacation as the holy grail of balance.
But real sustainability happens between vacations.
Try these:
“No Meeting Fridays” once a month
Flex time after crisis weeks
15-minute walking check-ins instead of always sitting at a desk
These small moments recharge batteries without needing every other Friday off (…although, that’s not a bad idea, come to think of it).
And realistically, it’s much more sustainable than pretending everyone’s going to take a tropical cruise every quarter.
Perfect Balance Is Not the Goal. Sustainability Is.
In human services, balance isn’t about equal hours on each side of the scale.
It’s about not tipping so far into work that people stop being human.
Let your leaders breathe — and they’ll lead longer, better, and with far less drama.
Because if your leadership team is always one crisis away from collapse,
you don’t have a leadership team — you have a burnout countdown.
Want to Actually Retain Great Leaders? Start Here.
If you’re trying to stop turnover at the top, it’s time to stop making wellness optional and boundaries taboo.
Set systems that support humans.
Train for resiliency, not martyrdom.
And maybe — just maybe — make PTO something people actually use.
Because the unicorn of work-life balance?
Turns out, it was just a good manager with a decent system all along.
