“You can’t expect people to do well in their business if they’ve got problems at home.”

– S. Truett Cathy, the late CEO of Chick-fil-A

As small business owners, work/life balance is often an ongoing challenge. We are continuously working on our businesses to support our families, but we also often bring stress home and miss out on being with them. This affects our marriages and family life.

At the same time, something we don’t always consider is that our staff is in the same boat. They’re working toward similar goals, and if they aren’t happy in their marriages, it will carry over into their performance at work and negatively impact our businesses.

According to the C12 Group’s findings, happily married employees demonstrate lower turnover and absenteeism, and operate with higher motivation. Moreover, studies show that dealing with issues in a marriage cost American employers more than $6 billion annually; for example, due to absenteeism and being unable to focus on their job, it costs an employer more than $80,000 each time an employee goes through a divorce.

What can a small business owner do to turn these numbers around? It may come as a surprise, but the answer is … quite a bit!

Making the Leap From Business Owner to Business Leader

Being a successful small business owner means also being a strong leader, and as leaders, we must make sure our team is happy and motivated, carrying out our message and delivering value to our customers. After all, we can’t do this alone – our businesses are only as strong as our team.

I know, personally, SBS Accounting & Advisors would not be where it is today without my amazing team working to keep our clients happy and healthy, and growing their businesses. Case in point: a great review (see below) we just received from one of our customers due to the dedication and hard work of our team.

As leaders, it’s our responsibility to cultivate a workplace culture employees can embrace, helping drive them to perform at their best. Fostering this culture by helping build strong marriages should be part of this practice. By doing this, not only are you showing love for others – one of our core values at SBS – but you’re also creating the foundation for happier and healthier employees, which, in turn, means more growth at your business.

In fact, companies that invest in relational and marital wellness often realize an ROI of $1.40-$4.90 for every dollar spent, according to research conducted by Prepare Enrich, a research firm that surveyed businesses with 50-5,000 employees.

What Can You Do to Foster a Happy Marriage?

First, lead by example. If you aren’t personally pursuing and demonstrating a happy and healthy marriage yourself, how do you expect your staff to do that?

Another way is to offer help. In modeling healthy marriages, it’s important to let others know that it’s “okay not to be okay,” and offer ways to help. For example, make sure your staff has access to intentional ministry resources, host a marriage seminar, hire a workplace chaplain or have regular times of prayer as a team where needs can be shared..

More than anything, you are the leader, so how you conduct yourself – and the tone you set for marriage issues in the environment around you – will go a long way.

Ready to Try it for Yourself? We’re Here to Help!

At SBS Accounting & Advisors, our team meets to discuss these very issues, finding ways to promote happy and healthy marriages. Recently, we were encouraged through some training and teaching we received on marriage and business, and would love to share more information, if you’re interested. In fact, tweet me with your questions or send me an email. We would love to hear from you, and help you find resources and guidance to build a healthy business and marriage.