The end of the year brings heightened pressure for many finance professionals, particularly CFOs tasked with year-end close, budget planning, and cross-functional coordination.

In a recent piece for CFO.com, Steve McNally reflected on this period as not only stressful but also an opportunity to reevaluate work-life balance, both personally and organizationally. 

Drawing from his own experience across large corporations and small businesses, McNally emphasized that true balance is not about perfect equilibrium, but about setting priorities with intention.

The metaphor of juggling five balls, where only the work ball is made of rubber, underscores the fragility of health, family, and personal wellbeing in the face of unmanaged expectations. 

The article outlines eight practical strategies for CFOs to implement beginning with culture. McNally argues that leaders should model and promote empathy, flexibility, and boundaries.

Aligning job expectations with achievable deadlines, offering genuine PTO, and funding accessible wellness programs are all part of the solution as well. Furthermore, just as important is normalizing the ability to push back on nonessential tasks and supporting teams when they do.

With 48% of chief accounting officers citing poor balance as a talent retention issue, a sustainable workplace, McNally writes, is build not on late hours but on clarity, trust, and well-being.