Your Work + Life

The Work + Life Office supports faculty and staff in managing the responsibilities of their work and personal lives. By providing services that facilitate work-life integration and promoting family-friendly policies, leaves, and benefits, we help to maintain work-life synergy. We utilize a Whole Person approach, incorporating research-based best practices that recognize and embrace employees’ full identities and various roles, fostering an inclusive, welcoming workplace where everyone can thrive both professionally and personally at any life stage.

Areas of Support

Work + Life encompasses a comprehensive range of services designed to promote well-being. These include best practices in work + life integration management, creating a workplace culture of compassion, and addressing anxiety in the workplace. Additional support areas cover maternal health and lactation support, childcare resources, and aging, adult, and elder care support. Yale also offers parenting education and mental health and substance misuse support through Optum, ensuring that employees have access to essential resources and assistance.

  • Aging and Caregiver Support

    Access support, including services and resources, to help manage caregiving responsibilities.

  • Children and Family

    Find support, resources, and benefits to help tackle the challenges working parents face with parenting and childcare.

  • Lactation Support

    Locate lactation rooms across campus and learn more about Yale’s commitment to supporting new parents.

  • Work Models at Yale

    Learn about the diverse work models at Yale, designed to support your work and life.

More Benefits Around Every Corner

Explore additional benefits that support your Work + Life.

Archway Clock.
Labyrinth Courtyard at Yale Divinity School

About Work + Life

Work “and” Life or Work “plus” Life? The correct term is Work “and” Life. The ‘+’ symbol signifies the various intersections between one’s professional responsibilities and other aspects of life. As individuals, we juggle different roles and responsibilities that demand our attention. The conventional notion of leaving personal life at the workplace door is no longer feasible. Recognizing that life continues beyond stepping into the office or logging on remotely, the term ‘Work + Life’ embraces he whole person navigating through multiple responsibilities, unique life experiences, and expectations at any life stage.

The term “work-life balance” is commonly used to describe the effort to manage work alongside other areas of life effectively. Let’s examine this phrase more closely.

Balance implies distributing weight evenly to maintain stability or equilibrium. When considering all aspects of an individual’s life, it can be organized into 12 categories: emotional life, health and fitness, character, spirituality, love relationships, parenting, social life, financial life, career/work, quality of life, and life vision/legacy. Among these, work is just one category out of twelve.

Given this perspective, how can we balance one part (work) with the whole (life)? Instead of balance, it’s about finding harmony within the continuous ‘ebb and flow’ of work and life. The goal is to navigate these dynamics to achieve work + life integration.

“My Dependent Care FSA helps with the cost of after school child care and summer camps… Without a doubt, the biggest advantage is the savings we get by using pre-tax dollars.” 

– Kristi

Yale employee standing with arms crossed.