AS PART OF INVISION’S 2022 Big Survey we asked respondents: “If you could be president for a day, what one decree would you pass to make life easier for small-business people?” Among all the dictates banishing taxes and red tape, one response stood out for its very different take on “pro-business” policy. “Focus on work/life balance,” decreed the anonymous would-be president. “All businesses must shorten hours/work week! We’ve become too customer focused and now we can’t keep employees because we keep pushing the envelope in order to keep up with competition.”

As our society de-stigmatizes the conversation around mental health and embraces the liberating potentials of technology, the concept of work-life balance has gained traction, moving from a faintly radical-sounding fringe concept to a commonplace aspiration. Recently we found evidence for this in one of our monthly Brain Squad surveys of independent ECPs when we asked: “Have you placed more of a focus on work/life balance post-pandemic?” Fully 66% of respondents said yes.

Increasingly, this is being seen not just as a value, but as a right. “Right to disconnect” laws now protect employees’ freedom to disengage from work-related communications outside of working hours in 13 countries. The first such law in the US is now before the California legislature.

Work-life balance isn’t about splitting your life in half and counting the hours spent on each; it’s about ensuring the two are in harmony. Performance management company Lattice defines a healthy work-life balance as “one in which both sectors of our lives are rewarding, our work stress levels are under control, and our time is spent in ways that enrich and enliven us.” For business owners, this should be not only a personal goal, but also a strategy for improving productivity, employee retention, and overall job satisfaction.

Below, we’ve distilled the experiences of your peers and the views of experts into nine strategies for achieving work-life balance.

First, though, it’s worth laying out the challenges ECPs face in this area, and what they stand to gain by restoring balance to their lives.

THE CHALLENGES

Demanding Business Hours

In INVISION’s 2023 Big Survey, most responding eyecare biz owners and managers reported working more than 40 hours a week, with 16% logging 50-59 hours and nearly 10% working upwards of 60 a week. This compares to an average workweek for full-time employees in the US of around 34.3 hours, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report for July 2024. Dr. Mason Childers, co-owner of Wiregrass Eyecare of Ozark in Ozark, AL, doubtless spoke for many optometrists when he told INVISION, “At the end of the day we have to see enough patients to keep the lights on. The hardest part is making sure the team does not get burnt out.”

Client Expectations

Client-centered businesses like optometry and optical retail create challenges for work-life balance due to the need for personalized care and the high standards ECPs hold themselves to. Says Childers, “The biggest thing for me is trying to spend as much time in the office seeing patients. That is the only thing I must 100% be at the office to accomplish… And while I understand I could perform telehealth exams, personally I feel like that is not giving the patient the care they need at this time. That is not a knock on telehealth but … I prefer to speak and care for the patient face to face.”

Burnout

Juggling operations, patient care, and staff management, independent eyecare business owners and managers can quickly slip into overwhelm. There is a prevailing view in our culture that small business owners are supposed to embrace what management consultancy Growth Idea calls the “hustle mentality.” This outlook, they say, “whispers promises of success, urging us to push ourselves beyond limits in pursuit of our goals. Yet, beneath its appealing facade lies a dangerous misconception. It’s essential to … recognize that success doesn’t thrive in a vacuum devoid of self-care.” OK, so now that we know what we’re up against, what do you stand to gain from getting this stuff right?

BENEFITS OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Improved Morale and Productivity

First off, let’s be clear: The idea that longer hours equate to higher productivity has been consigned to the scrap heap of outmoded management ideas. Employees with better work-life balance are more engaged and motivated, leading to better customer service and higher productivity, and this will be reflected in your bottom line. As reported by INC.com, the Corporate Executive Board — which represents 80% of Fortune 500 companies — found that employees who believe they have good work-life balance work 21% harder than those who don’t, after researching 50,000 global workers. Proof can be found at Respect Eyecare in Calgary, AB, Canada, where, owner Dr. Steven Hoang says, “We’ve always made it a point to avoid the 40-hour work week. Team members seem more refreshed each day and motivated.”

Sustained Business Growth

A healthier work-life balance lets owners and managers think more strategically, innovate, and drive growth. Roger Beahm, professor of marketing at Wake Forest University School of Business, says of companies that encourage it: “While they may be leaving money on the table in the short run… in the long run, they’re continuing to generate revenue because of the satisfaction level of employees and customers.” Hoang agrees: “I always wonder if we could be producing more revenue but remind myself constantly this is only one measure of success. I have less staff turnover. I find my team has better mental capacity to take on the challenge of offering and executing on higher-level business-growing items.”

Retention and Recruitment

For Hoang, this is a selling point come recruitment time. “We’re upfront to applicants that we’re not a place where you grind out lots of hours. We’re about encouraging and valuing time away from work to do other things they want.” Dr. Mark Perry, owner of Vision Health Institute in Orlando, FL, has learned there is more to life than a paycheck for younger generation ODs. “Work/life balance is very important to this new generation. Pay is a priority but not an end-all point,” he says.

So, what steps can you take to ensure you’re keeping your life and your job in balance?

1. SHIFT YOUR
PERSPECTIVE

Sometimes all it takes is a few well-chosen words. When we asked Dr. Adam Ramsey, owner of Socialite Vision in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, about work-life balance, rather than rattle off a list of coping strategies, he sent us this bracing reflection: “If I die tomorrow, my patients will go to the lady down the street and not miss a beat.” Ironically, taking those first steps down the road of self-care gets a little easier when you accept that — while you’re justifiably proud of what you do — no one is indispensable.

Dr. Danielle Richardson, optometrist and owner of Fierce Clarity, a holistic wellness and lifestyle business, urges ECPs to “Create a personal definition of success beyond your career. I teach wellness workshops and retreats to professionals and you’d be surprised how few are in touch with their desires. Asking ‘What do I want?’ is a powerful way to illuminate what’s important to you in order to design your life and appropriately invest your time. Traveling, family time, or learning a language can run in tandem with, not in opposition to, your career.”

2.SET
BOUNDARIES

Setting clear boundaries is important in preventing overwork. We like executive coach Betsy Jacobson’s take on this: “Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management. Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices.” Jocelyn Mylott, director of optical operations at D’Ambrosio Eye Care in Lancaster, MA, told us that while she still has room for improvement, she’s learning to establish limits. “I am still not balanced. The days just end and I have not balanced anything yet, but I am at least repeatedly trying new things regularly. I also have better balanced the family weekend since none of us work over the weekend. I say no a lot more.”

To be effective, boundary setting should extend to your interactions with patients, suppliers, and all other professional relationships. At Respect Eyecare, Hoang advertises their hours as 10:30AM to 4:45PM online to discourage early birds and last-minute drop-ins, and he and his team don’t work evenings “as we found it yielded low eyewear purchases and mostly people who were looking to fit in a quick in/out eye exam.”

3.DELEGATE AND
MANAGE TIME WISELY

Learn to delegate administrative tasks to staff or external service providers, allowing them to focus on key areas of the business while preserving personal time. This sounds straightforward but can be a big step for many owners, as Daniel Hsu, president of 7eye by Panoptx in Ontario, CA, is finding. “It’s a family business and I know my work has overconsumed my life. So, I just need to place bigger focus on training people for them to eventually take over some of the responsibilities.”

4. LEVERAGE
TECHNOLOGY

Many optical equipment manufacturers now market new technologies not merely on the strength of their ability to enhance patient care but as facilitators of ECP wellness. Chuck Scott, CEO of tele-optometry system provider 20/20NOW, told INVISION, “We are now seeing a trend within private optometry to utilize ocular telehealth within their practice, primarily for practice expansion, revenue improvement and better work/life balance.” Using ChatGPT to draft emails or Midjourney to illustrate social media posts could save you hours. ScribeEMR touts its remote medical scribing service as a work-life balance enhancer for ECPs. Obviously, it’s for you to investigate these claims, but clearly work-life balance is on manufacturers’ radar as something ECPs are looking to get from their tech.

Childers, while personally stopping short of bringing in telehealth for eye exams to his practice, agrees that “Thanks to technology, other aspects of owning and running a private practice can be accomplished outside of the office — billing, charting, office management, practice management, etc.” At their six locations in Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri, Black Optical use intercompany communication apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams to streamline their internal communications. “This approach helps reduce the reliance on personal cell phones and texts, ensuring that work-related messages are kept within a dedicated and organized platform,” says owner Gary Black.

5. BE FLEXIBLE WITH
SCHEDULING AND TIME OFF

Examine your hours — and your finances — to see whether they could allow for scheduling that suits your non-work goals better. “Honestly I would prefer to work three 12-hour shifts similar to how nurses can schedule, but I am still working towards that goal,” says Childers.

At Buena Vista Optical in Chicago, IL, owner Diana Canto-Sims ran her revenue numbers for the past 10 years and saw that the first two weeks of July were very slow. “So, we decided to join our patients, and give our staff two weeks off. For the end of year holidays, we decided no amount of revenue was worth putting up with last minute demands over the holidays and decided to take these 10 days off and meet the following year with a fresh start.”

At Black Optical, dedicated virtual office hours are set aside for addressing roadblocks and discussing strategies. Black also encourages all staff to use their generous paid time off (with a strict policy against work-related calls or texts on personal devices during PTO); offers opportunities for team members to study or work from home when necessary for personal reasons; and supports team members who are parents by encouraging attendance at their children’s sporting and other events, even if it occurs during scheduled work hours.

“Additionally, we offer flexibility for school schedules and pick-up times,” says Black. All of which lives up to the office’s motto: “We work to have a life, not make our entire life work.”

6. SET CLEAR POLICIES
AND EXPECTATIONS

Create formal policies regarding working hours, after-hours communication, and overtime to prevent staff burnout. At a minimum these should include:

• Core Work Hours: Clearly define the standard work hours for employees.
• After-Hours Communication: Establish guidelines for when employees could expect to receive work-related communication outside of regular hours and appropriate responses.
• Overtime Policies: Outline the procedures for requesting and approving overtime, as well as the compensation rates.
• Time Off: Specify the types of time off available (e.g., vacation, sick leave, personal time) and the procedures for requesting and approving these.

7. ENCOURAGE
COMMUNICATION
AND TEAM COLLABORATION

Encourage a collaborative work culture where staff support each other, share responsibilities, and step in when needed, helping everyone to manage workloads better. Consultant Kaia Pankhurst, who writes about management issues in the eyecare industry, says this is particularly important for younger team members. “The prognosis for retirement isn’t looking great for most Millennials, and we know we’ll be working a long time,” she writes. “We’ve come to terms with that, as long as we don’t hate coming to work every day. That’s why we prioritize company culture. For Millennials, the workplace isn’t just somewhere to invest in our retirement plan; it’s somewhere to invest in our personal growth.”

8. OFFER TRAINING
AND SUPPORT

Consider providing outside training on time or financial management, or stress reduction, or introduce your own wellness program to help staff manage their workload. According to optical coordinator Deborah Tellez-Peña at Eye Physicians of Austin in Austin, TX, staff are put in touch with organizations that offer counseling to manage work stress, including financial counseling. Black offers team members a wellness reimbursement program, with each receiving $150 quarterly to use any way they see fit, whether it’s a gym membership, yoga classes or a 200-mile bike race entry fee. Team members are also offered a travel reimbursement every three years, which Black says, “eliminates lack of extra money as a barrier to explore and recharge our batteries.” Vendors like WellSteps and Sonic Boom can set up a wellness program for your business.

9. LEAD BY
EXAMPLE

Owners and managers should personally model good work-life balance behaviors. Be aware of the signals you’re sending to staff. According to professional mentorship platform Ambition in Motion, “When managers stay past normal work hours and email, chat, or contact others on their team they send implicit communication that those receiving the communication should be working as well … Getting a late-night email from a boss can be stressful.” One boss who leads from the front in terms of work-life balance is Dr. Ben Thayil at Lifetime Vision and EyeCare in Miami, FL. “Even before the pandemic, I decided I wanted to build a practice that gives everyone a weekend and time for me to spend time with my family even on the weekdays,” he says. “The pandemic helped me accelerate to the point where I have a 2.5-day clinical schedule and no one works the weekend. It gives me time with my family and to work on other projects. Being closed on the weekend is great for staff morale as well.”

We encourage you to implement any or all the strategies outlined above and to commit to fostering a work-life balance culture for yourself and your business. To take us out, let’s hear from Black (or rather, from one of his favorite authors, Anne Lamott): “There’s this quote by Lamott that has become my mantra lately: ‘Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few moments, including you.’”