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Benefits of work-life balance policies

Organization culture, including work-life balance policies, can directly impact employee stress and health – the healthier and more stress-free employees are the better the organization will perform.  This directly affects “the bottom-line” given that a better performing organization will have greater revenue; it also indirectly affects “the bottom-line” as there will be fewer employee sick days, less reliance on the company’s health benefits plan, and less employee turn-over.  When employee satisfaction increases so too does productivity.  It also increases the public image of the company – all of which has a bearing on the overall performance of the company. (City of Peterborough, 2010; Miller, 2016). 
It seems like at the base of this idea is “thinking outside the box” regarding how to structure work days and how to accomplish all of the relevant tasks that need to be completed each day or week.  I also think that there will be a transition period where things might not go as smoothly but will eventually get better.
In my opinion, the best gains that a company will see after the implementation period of work-life balance policies is improved employee stability (i.e., lower turnover), employee satisfaction, and public image.  While at first glance these may seem like intangible benefits, they really do directly impact the success of the company on a financial level.
Personal Experiences
I work in health care providing direct support to adults living with brain injures, so all of the suggestions about remote work and using technology better don’t apply. 
It is difficult to adjust hours as we have to cover 24 hours, 7 days per week, 365 days a year so that is done in the typical 3 shifts of 8 hours.  What we have done for some staff is allow 32 hours per week to be considered full-time (i.e., work 4 days instead of 5 days per week) – I currently have 3 staff who have taken advantage of this option.  Previously I had two part-time staff share one full-time position, and I would consider approving this type of arrangement again if anyone requested it.
Also, our company provides for more vacation time than is required by law – by law, we have to provide 2 weeks of paid vacation time every calendar year; however, at the 3 year anniversary this is increased to 3 weeks per year, and at the 5 year anniversary this is increased to 4 weeks per year. I track my employee’s use of their vacation time and ensure that they are actually using it.  We also provide 10 paid sick days per employee per calendar year.  
I work in a high-stress field of work and therefore I often provide training to my employees regarding “not taking work home” and by that I mean not thinking about it at home (given that they do not have actual work to take home) and also how to “not take things personally” when clients are agitated or aggressive or they have experienced a difficult shift. This is probably the most difficult aspect for a new employee to master in order to have a good work-life balance.

References
City of Peterborough (March 2010).  Tuning into workplace culture: a practical guide.  Retrieved from http://www.healthatworkpeterborough.ca/site/wp-content/uploads/Workplace_Culture_Final1.pdf
Miller, Bridget (Feb. 10, 2016).  How to improve work/life balance for employees.  Retrieved from https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2016/02/10/how-to-improve-worklife-balance-for-employees/.
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