I am not sure if you realised but I am sending this newsletter a little later this month than usual. As you probably know (or at least if you are in Australia and have kids), it has been school holidays. While I often do the juggle and have multiple balls in the air, these holidays I decided to take a proper break. Firstly, we headed away on a family trip the first day of the school holidays as we had planned a pretty special trip to South Africa and Victoria Falls with just my husband and our kids. I wanted to be fully present, live in the moment, not worry about my phone, my emails and my messages. And when I returned, I decided everything that was waiting could wait another week. Afterall I now needed to be entertainer, uber driver, laundromat, chef, shopper, so on and so forth.

So this month, I thought I’d consider the question of work/life balance and specifically, the topic of taking leave. How do you feel about leave – annual leave, long service leave, carer’s leave and the like? Do you think you are indispensable? Are you saving lives? Could your company survive without you?

I know in Australia, we value our leave. Most people (not all) are pretty good at taking it. But when I lived in the US in the early 2000s, I couldn’t believe how few Americans took their leave. They would perhaps tack a day on to a long weekend here or there, but 3-5 days was considered a vacation. It was something I couldn’t get my head around. I was used to travelling for weeks, if not a month or more, at a time…perhaps because Australia is so far from everywhere else in the world, perhaps because we were given four weeks leave per year, as opposed to the average American who only gets two weeks leave (unless they work at an executive level), who really knows. But I had received the nickname “Holiday Queen” for a reason – as soon as I returned from one adventure, the planning for the next began!

How to Value Leave

Leave, whether it’s annual leave, personal/sick leave, parental leave, or even unpaid leave, is an essential part of maintaining our work/life balance. Valuing leave means recognising it not as a perk, but a right and necessity for employee wellbeing. Here’s how you can value and promote it:

✅ 1. Encourage People to Use It

Avoid glorifying “busyness” or long hours. Leaders and managers should take leave themselves and support others doing the same without guilt.

✅ 2. Normalise Disconnecting

Respect boundaries by having no expectations to check emails or take calls during time off. A real break means true rest and recovery.

✅ 3. Plan Work Around Leave

Support teams in preparing for someone’s absence. This builds trust and shows that the workplace values rest, not just output.

✅ 4. Understand Leave as Investment

People return from leave more motivated, creative, and focused. It’s not a cost, it’s a productivity enhancer.

✅ 5. Lead With Empathy

People need leave for many reasons: illness, burnout, family responsibilities, or simply to recharge. An empathetic culture values people over performance metrics alone.

During my time in Chicago…I planned an amazing trip to Alaska – I’d be away for two full weeks. I remember telling my boss I’d planned this trip and would be uncontactable as I would be camping in remote areas. He said that would not be possible, but I reassured him, the team would have everything in control and would manage just fine in my absence. I asked if he could attend one team conference call while I was away in case anyone needed some direction, but I did truly believe all would be ok. He agreed and I said I would check in at 10am the day I returned so I would have enough time to check in on all my team members and address any issues prior to the meeting. When I met with the partner in charge, he immediately dismissed me and let me know they had done a wonderful job in my absence and I was right in trusting them to get the job done and all projects were making great progress, even though I had been on leave.

Sharing this story time and time again, gives me so much joy. It serves as a good reminder that even though these days it is so easy to stay connected, to check in, to take an odd call here or there, or respond to a message or email, sometimes, or actually most of the time, we are better to fully relax and take a real break and trust your team will do their jobs. By doing this, we avoid the feelings of burnout and never getting a proper break. We fully disconnect and recharge our batteries, which is crucial to us performing the best we can.

What is your perspective on work life balance? How do you manage your load? Do you take leave? Do you check emails, agree to being contacted whilst you are away, or can you switch off and let others take responsibility?

Leadership Tip of The Month

A healthy work/life balance leads to better mental health, stronger relationships, increased job satisfaction, and long-term productivity.

A company that truly supports work/life balance and values leave is one where people feel trusted, respected, and seen as whole human beings—not just workers. When organisations embed this mindset into their culture, they see long-term benefits: lower turnover, higher morale, and a stronger, more loyal team.

I’d love to know your thoughts…let’s Twalk!

Til next month…