The ‘work-life balance’ trap: Why promising it is hurting your SME recruitment (and what to promise instead)

“Work-life balance” sounds great on a job ad. But if you’re a founder in the thick of scaling your business, or a business leader with ambitious growth plans, you know first-hand it isn’t really that simple. 

The reality is, promising the perfect work-life balance in the recruitment process has the potential to be harmful to your business. It can see you end up attracting the wrong people that don’t align with the pace of your business. And the result? A spike in turnover and a drop in employee engagement, especially when new hires realise they’ve been sold a job that’s very different in reality.

If you’re in business growth mode, work-life integration is more likely to be the reality. By acknowledging the intensity of some days and creating  a high-trust culture, you’re more likely to attract the right people that are ready to grow with you. 

We’ve wrapped up the benefits of switching from promoting a culture of work-life balance to building a culture of work-life integration (and all of the hidden costs you could come up against if you don’t). 

The problem with promising work-life balance when you’re a business in growth mode

For many businesses, work-life balance is seen as a standard perk that implies an even split exists between work and personal time. However, by leaning too heavily on the idea of work-life balance, you can set unrealistic expectations that could end up attracting candidates that might be looking for a slower pace. 

For a business in a growth phase, momentum is everything. And promising an ideal you can’t deliver on every day can end up costing you time and money (but more on that later).

Instead, consider promoting work-life integration. A modern approach to work, where flexibility is built on trust and your people are empowered to blend work with life in a way that’s suitable for them. This honest and sustainable approach can help set the expectations, while embracing flexibility for when life happens. 

The hidden costs of overpromising and underdelivering for your new hires

Have you ever made the perfect hire, only to have them leave as soon as they started? “It’s me, not you”, they’ll say. But, whatever the reason, it’s a situation that can leave you feeling unprepared, blind-sided and out-of-pocket. And for small businesses, it’s a hard pill to swallow after all the time you’ve spent investing in bringing them through the door.

The reality is that new hire turnover brings about even more costs than you started with because you’re back at square one, restarting the entire recruitment cycle again. The last thing you want is a revolving door of new hires, where employees leave just as easily and quickly as they’re hired. 

In Australia, we’re in the midst of a new hire turnover epidemic. Our recent Hiring Snapshot Report revealed that over one-quarter (27%) of respondents say they’ve had new hires leave the business within their first six days and 22% stated they’ve had a new hire leave within 1-2 weeks. What’s more, 60% said that a new hire left within the first month, and 78% stated they’ve had someone leave within the first three months. That’s a lot of time wasted and money spent with nothing to show for it. 

That’s why setting realistic expectations in the recruitment process is so important. Get it wrong and you’ll fall into a costly cycle of turnover that disrupts productivity and inflates hiring expenses, which our research shows is a whopping $13,545 per year. 

What does work-life integration look like in action? 

Work-life integration gives your team the flexibility to design work in a way that fits into their life. It could see someone ducking out for school pick-up or the athletics carnival, then jumping back online after dinner. Or working longer hours during the week and finishing early on Friday to head to the gym. Work-life integration is based on the idea that people have lives outside of work, and recognising that has the power to be one of the most meaningful perks you can offer. 

In our Wellness at Work Report, we asked what was the number one perk outside of pay that could convince an employee to stay at a company, and the most popular perk was remote and flexible work options i.e. the core parts of work-life integration. 

The power of crafting an honest Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

Ready to rethink the work-life balance pitch? A great place to start is crafting a compelling yet honest EVP that will attract the right people for your business.

If you’re trying to create a culture that prioritises outcomes over hours worked, you need to tell the truth and tell it well. Start by promoting work-life integration as an integral part of your workplace culture. Share real life examples of what work-life integration looks like in your business and be sure to include this on your job ads and career page. 

Instead of including generic phrases like “We offer work-life balance,” instead try:

• “We focus on outcomes, not number of hours worked.”
• “We empower our team to work when, where and how they work best.”
• “We support flexibility at work, because life happens.”

Going beyond just flexibility in your EVP

It’s also important to include other benefits in your EVP, such as employee development paths, internal reward and recognition programs and other cool perks you offer. It could look like: 

• An office bar
• Access to a work gym
• A generous budget to set up your home office space 
• Generous leave allowances
• Fancy team-building events on the regular

By setting the scene early and offering perks beyond just a paycheck, you’ll speak directly to your ideal candidates and avoid attracting the wrong ones. 

Looking for some EVP and employer brand inspiration? Watch our recent webinar here.

The final word on work-life integration

For ambitious SMEs, promoting a culture of work-life integration can be a massive drawcard for candidates and presents a huge opportunity to attract and retain the right people. When your workplace culture is built on trust, shared values, and the freedom to do great work no matter where or when that is, you create an environment where people truly love to be. 

When it comes to your SME recruitment, it’s time to shift the narrative and showcase a culture where work and life work together, not compete. Use this as your recruitment competitive advantage, (along with a helping hand from our Employment Operating System), and thank us later. 

Looking to learn more about how Employment Hero can support your team? Talk to one of our business specialists today.

What are the main hiring challenges for small to medium enterprises?

For many small to medium enterprises (SMEs), hiring and onboarding the right people is the secret sauce for business growth. But SME recruitment is rarely straightforward. Limited budgets, lean teams, and a hyper-competitive job market make it tough to consistently attract and hire the right talent. And when the recruitment process is clunky or inconsistent, it only makes it harder. Here are a few hiring challenges facing Aussie small businesses. 

Competing with the big guys

One of the biggest challenges in SME recruitment is standing out in a crowded job market. With bigger companies offering world-class perks and brand recognition, Australian SMEs are often left struggling to capture the attention of the best candidates. 

Writing a clear, compelling job ad and aligning it with a well-defined job description is a critical first step, but without strong recruitment practices and a well-crafted employee value proposition (EVP), even the best-written job ads can fall flat. 

Thankfully, we can help you change that. Our EVP strategy template can help you create a world-class EVP that attracts the right people for your business.

Reaching the right people

Then there’s the matter of reach. Relying solely on traditional job boards is no longer cutting it, especially if you want to bring in the best people. To attract the best, your SME recruitment needs smarter strategies. Consider tapping into networks, leaning into your employer brand, seeking out passive candidates and building a presence where candidates are actually spending their time. 

Reaching the right people takes resources, expertise, and insight, all of which can be in short supply when your hiring managers are wearing multiple hats. Our powerful Employment Operating System can help find the right people in record time with our AI recruitment tool, SmartMatch. 

Want to stay ahead of your competition and attract top talent fast? You can instantly discover and contact ready-to-work candidates, directly and for free with Employment Hero. No middlemen, no waiting, just great hires made easy. Start hiring for free today.

Clunky recruitment processes that slow you down

Even once candidates come through the door, the hiring process itself can be a challenge. Without a streamlined process, businesses risk losing the best candidates to faster-moving companies, or wasting precious time on applicants who aren’t a good fit. 

Not to mention how poor onboarding and rushed recruitment decisions can lead to disengaged new hires, increased turnover and a very real impact to your bottom line. 

Wanting to transform your hiring process? Download our hiring interview checklist or recruitment process guide for some actionable tips you can implement today. 

It’s not all bad news

With the right recruitment tools (hint: Employment Hero), advice, and strategies, SMEs can absolutely compete for top talent. By refining your recruitment process, crafting better job ads, leveraging AI to save time, and investing in your employer brand, you can consistently attract the right talent and build a team that’s engaged, capable, and ready to reach your targets.

What can employers offer to attract top talent?

To attract top talent during the job search, businesses need to refine their recruitment process and rethink how job ads are structured. Go beyond salary, and highlight the things that matter most to candidates. Show how your business supports meaningful careers, true flexibility and personal development, so your job ad speaks directly to the right talent from the start. To attract top talent, consider focusing on:

Work-life integration

Instead of promising work-life balance, promote work-life integration. Create a high-trust culture and empower your employees to manage their time around real life. Highlight work-life integration in your job ads, and embed it into your recruitment process to attract candidates seeking autonomy, impact, and sustainable ways of working.

Flexible working hours

If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that a modern workforce needs flexibility. One of the easiest ways to do this is to embed it in your culture. Include flexibility in every job ad, and reinforce it throughout the hiring process. 

Professional development opportunities

The best people are looking for more than just a job. Offering training, mentorship, and clear career pathways strengthens your SME recruitment strategy. Include these opportunities in your job ads and throughout the recruitment process to show candidates that your business is invested in their long-term success and skills. 

Access to world-leading benefits and perks

Looking to step up your employee benefits strategy? Our powerful Employment Operating System gives you the tools to craft an employee value proposition (EVP) that wraps up world-class perks in one place.

Recognise effort and celebrate wins with Hero Points, where employees earn points for milestones, shout-outs and standout performance. From here, direct them to the Benefits store, full of everyday discounts and cashback offers on some of Australia’s most loved retailers. 

With access to financial benefits, learning and development tools, and access to 24/7 support via our employee assistance program, Employment Hero helps you build an EVP that attracts top talent, supports their wellbeing and makes them want to stay.

How can Employment Hero help with my recruitment? 

We know that ambitious businesses need the right tools to get them to their goals faster. Our end-to-end Employment Operating System can streamline your entire recruitment and onboarding process, helping you attract, hire and onboard top talent, faster. 

With AI powered recruitment tools, and a centralised hiring dashboard and the opportunity for you to tap into our hiring tools for free, you can manage candidates with ease and save crucial time at every stage. 

Plus, our platform supports collaborative hiring, so all the right people are always in the know. From sourcing top candidates to delivering a five-star onboarding experience, Employment Hero helps you build a powerful recruitment engine that scales with you. 

Ready to build a robust, people-first recruitment process? Speak to one of our business specialists today and discover how Employment Hero can support your team at every stage.