Medical sales reps really can have it all — in both their personal and professional lives. And you would rate the majority of your reps as, overall, being satisfied with their careers.

If you agree with these two idealistic statements, brace yourself for the striking facts to come.

Believe it or not, an alarming one-third of salespeople say their job negatively impacts their personal life, according to a 2017 Hubspot study of 503 salespeople. Another 68 percent of salespeople describe their lifestyle as challenging.

The importance of work-life balance for sales professionals isn’t a new concept. However, the detrimental effects of poor work-life balance on their health, personal lives, and careers are real — and it’s an epidemic. This is especially crucial in the field of medical sales, where every day is high-stress and fast-paced.

Here’s proof you need to focus on work-life balance before your medical sales team ends up burnt out and underperforming:

It’s their top priority

Medical sales reps are known for their hard work, determination, and drive. These three traits often leave these pros stereotyped as money-hungry.

But today’s medical sales reps are putting their focus on something other than dollar signs. In our 2018 8th Annual Medical Sales Salary Report, 60 percent of respondents noted work-life balance as more important than money.

This shift in focus means company leaders must alter how they approach the employee experience. As medical sales reps speak out about their need for an improved work-life balance, leaders must focus on providing support that reaches beyond hitting sales goals.

The best place to start is by opening up and talking to your team. Find out where each person struggles with gaining work-life balance — and how you can help them be successful at home and at work.

Finding any work-life balance is a challenge

In many professions, most employees have some semblance of work-life balance. Unfortunately, today’s salespeople are burdened with the digital world, making it nearly impossible to find any personal time. With notifications coming from various apps, distractions rob them of concentration, adding even more time to their busy days.

Unfortunately, these overwhelming tasks and schedules are taking a toll on salespeople. In fact, one-third of salespeople say they have no work-life balance at all, according to the previously mentioned Hubspot report.

Help your team work their way to a successful medical sales career by working efficiently. Encourage them to dedicate a specific time during the day when they eliminate all notifications, allowing them to find complete focus.

After a week or two of practicing this, ask reps to start deliberately ending their work days — whether on the road, in the office, or at home — an hour earlier than usual.

Their work follows them home

Arguably one of the biggest work-life balance struggles for medical sales reps is the fact that they can work from anywhere, at any time. Clients’ needs don’t wait for family dinners or weekend trips, making the demands of work more stressful than most jobs.

Even though it’s each individual sales reps’ decision to answer that 9 p.m. email or reply to a text immediately after waking up, there’s an outcry for more quality time at home. An overwhelming 83 percent of salespeople in the above Hubspot report said they want to spend more quality time with family.

But salespeople themselves are not the only ones ready for them to take some time off. In fact, the same report found half of salespeople’s friends and family have told them they work too much.

Medical sales reps need to put in a lot of work to remain successful, but that shouldn’t translate to 80-hour work weeks. Give your team guidance on maximizing their time with block scheduling.

Rather than jumping between tasks and getting interrupted by messages, emails, and phone calls, they can focus on one specific task for an estimated amount of time. With more focus, their productivity will increase, giving work-life balance an actual chance.

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How do you improve your team’s work-life balance? Let us know!