“Overworking is not freedom, it’s just another kind of sentence.”
If you’ve served 15 years in prison like I did, you don’t take freedom for granted. But let’s be oh so real, some of you are out here working jobs like you’re on a 23-hour lockdown—tied to your desk, answering emails at midnight, and treating PTO like it’s contraband. And I get it. When I first came home, I overworked myself like I had something to prove, trying to catch up on time that was already spent.
Fifteen years behind bars meant I had 15 years of career-building, wealth-generating, and networking to catch up on. So I said yes to every opportunity, every meeting, and every late-night strategy session. I was moving like a parolee with a curfew—but the only warden was the unrealistic expectations I had placed on myself. And let me tell you, overworking is not freedom; it’s just another kind of sentence.
Yet, I’m an ambitious, focused woman who refuses to be outworked in my purpose. I don’t want to slow down, but I also don’t want to work myself into an early grave or an unpaid internship in burnout recovery. The real key to success isn’t working harder—it’s working smarter in an environment that supports you as a full person, not just as a productive employee.
This is where employers have a real opportunity. If you want your people to thrive, not just survive like they’re scraping by on a prison tray, you must create a work culture prioritizing balance, sustainability, and well-being. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because a thriving employee will always outperform an exhausted one.
I thought about it long and hard—how can employers support work-life balance without letting productivity tank? HR Dive reported that “65% of employees reported experiencing burnout in 2023, with 72% stating it impacted their performance,” and Clockify.me reports that “46% of workers don’t use all of their PTO during the year, and 68% work while on vacation.”
I know what some of you think: “We already have flexible work policies, and yet, some people still manage to contribute the absolute bare minimum while milking every perk.” I see you. We all know those employees who treat PTO like a lifestyle and deadlines like a suggestion. Work-life balance isn’t about giving people a free pass to do less; it’s about creating a system that allows your best people to do their best work without burning out.
Look, I’ve had rules imposed on me before (shoutout to CDCR), and let me tell you, bad policies don’t make better people, they just make people better at pretending to follow them. If an organization claims to support work-life balance but gives you the side-eye every time you take PTO, then guess what? You don’t have a balance policy; you have a company guilt trap.
HOWEVER, some of y’all hoard your vacation days like you’re saving up for a rainy decade. Why? Because we’ve been conditioned to think that taking time off means we’re less committed. It’s the same mentality I had when I first came home. I worked myself into the ground because I thought if I wasn’t constantly proving my worth, I’d lose everything I had built and all I longed to build.
I eventually learned, and every good employer should understand, that rest isn’t the enemy of success. People who take time to recharge work better, think clearly, and stay longer. A report from Indeed found 52% of all workers are feeling burned out, up +9% from a pre-COVID survey.
“If an organization claims to support work-life balance
but guilt-trips you for using PTO, that’s not balance.”
I want to make work-life balance a functional reality, not just an inspirational quote on a break room wall. First, make PTO mandatory. A “use it or lose it” policy ensures people don’t hoard vacation days like a prison commissary stash, too afraid to take time off. Second, stop rewarding burnout. If the only employees getting promoted are the ones clocking 70-hour weeks, you’re not encouraging hard work, you’re sending the message that exhaustion is the price of success. Lastly, normalize boundaries. If you’re firing off emails at 11 PM, congratulations, you’ve just created a workplace where no one feels safe ignoring their phone at night. Work-life balance only works if leaders practice what they preach.
Listen, I believe in second chances, fresh starts, and giving people grace, but let’s not pretend everyone is out here being an A+ employee just because you offer flexible schedules and remote work. We all know some folks treat work-life balance like a permanent vacation, logging in at 9:05 AM, disappearing by 10:00 AM, and resurfacing just in time to log off at 4:55 PM. And that’s where leadership has to step up. Just like in life, freedom comes with responsibility.
Employers should make balance possible, but employees still have to show up, contribute, and do the work.
When I started leading CROP, I wanted to create a work culture that truly supported people, so I rolled out one of the most generous benefits packages imaginable, including 30 days of wellness time. My thinking was simple: if people felt valued and cared for, they’d show up as their best selves. But let me tell you, good intentions don’t always lead to good results. It wasn’t long before I realized some folks were taking “wellness time” to recover from binge-watching their favorite Netflix series. That’s when it hit me—blind generosity without accountability doesn’t create balance, it creates loopholes. A healthy work environment shouldn’t just offer unlimited flexibility without structure; it should encourage people to take care of themselves while still showing up and doing the work. Much like in life, freedom in the workplace only works when paired with responsibility.
Honestly, some of us want to win more than we want to rest. I know this because I am that person. Even when I had permission to slow down, I didn’t know how to. But I also know that the grind doesn’t mean much if you’re too exhausted to enjoy the journey that leads to success. The best workplaces build a culture where people feel challenged but not consumed, like running a marathon instead of a sprint. Nobody wins if they collapse before the finish line. That means recognizing when to structure rest after high-intensity work periods instead of dropping another major project on your team like a surprise parole search. It also means investing in growth, not just deliverables, by giving employees access to learning, development, and career pathways so they don’t feel like they have to work themselves into depletion just to be noticed. And most importantly, leaders should learn to call out burnout before it hits. If someone is working longer but producing less, don’t just push them harder; ask what’s going on. Real success isn’t about who works the longest but who can keep showing up at their best.
At the end of the day (and this article), commitment and self-destruction are two different things. When I think about what has allowed me to be a leader, a mother, and a woman on a mission, it’s not sheer willpower alone, it’s that I work in an environment that encourages balance, not just output. And if I can go from being locked in a cell to leading at the executive level while still making time to be present for my life, trust me, balance is not just possible, it’s necessary.
“The grind doesn’t mean much if you’re too exhausted
to enjoy the journey that leads to success.”
So, to my fellow professionals, take that PTO. Put that laptop down. Touch some grass, hug your kids, dance in your kitchen, go do whatever reminds you that you are a whole person outside your job. Then, and only then, show up and show out in your best performing attire! And to employers, if you really want engaged, productive, and high-performing teams, give your people the kind of freedom that actually matters—the freedom to thrive, not just survive. Invest in them as people, not just the impact of your collective whole, because when people feel supported, valued, and their time is respected, they’ll go all in for the mission.
Work shouldn’t feel like prison. But if it does? You might need to appeal for an early release.
About The Author
Terah Lawyer is the President of CROP, leading innovative reentry programs and housing solutions for formerly incarcerated individuals. With over 15 years of experience, she has developed impactful programs like CORE, served as the founding director of Impact Justice’s Homecoming Project, and she manages a $10M nonprofit budget. She’s a three-time degree holder and a recognized leader in workforce development, policy advocacy, and social justice. Her work has been featured by NPR, The New York Times, and CNN, and she serves on Governor Gavin Newsom’s Advisory Council. Terah’s lived experience fuels her passion for creating lasting change in communities.
Read more articles from Terah:
Rebuilding Lives and Boosting Businesses: The Surprising ROI of Hiring Formerly Incarcerated Individuals