Work-Life Balance Is Not a Buzzword
The Future of Families and the Future of Work Go Hand in Hand: An update
Six years ago, we were two best friends and two working moms, and we were both deep in the juggle: building careers, raising kids and trying to keep a household running in between. We started TULA because we needed it. Honestly, we still do.
We both remember what that season felt like. You finish a full workday, walk in the door, and immediately clock into a second shift. Dinner. Laundry. Lunches for tomorrow. Remembering the permission slip, the dentist appointment and the birthday gift for Saturday’s party. None of it is hard on its own. It’s that it never ends, and it almost always falls on the same people.
Six years later, our mission hasn’t changed: give families their time back but how we think about it has evolved.
What we didn’t expect to learn
Over the past several years, we’ve partnered with a growing number of companies that offer TULA to their employees as a perk or benefit. Some subsidize hours, some offer a monthly allotment of support, and others use TULA as a gift over holidays or to help employees through big life moments like a new baby, a move or a return from leave.
We expected employees to love having the extra help, and they do. What surprised us was why.
For many people, it’s not just about the laundry getting folded. It’s about feeling seen. When an employer offers something like TULA, it sends a powerful message: we know your life doesn’t stop when you log off, and we don’t expect you to carry all of it alone.
Even more surprising was the permission it gives. So many of the people we work with are incredibly capable. They could do it all, and they’ve been doing it all for years. Asking for help at home can feel indulgent, or like admitting you can’t keep up. However, when your company offers support, it reframes the whole thing. Delegating isn’t a luxury or a weakness. It’s a smart, supported choice, and one your employer actually encourages.
We get it, because we’ve lived it. Even after building a company whose entire purpose is helping people delegate, we’ve had to learn to take our own advice. We tell clients every day that doing less is more, and then we catch ourselves trying to do everything anyway. Sometimes everyone, us included, needs to hear: it’s okay to ask for help.
"OMG TULA is such an incredible perk!"
"Just submitted my first TULA request! What an awesome benefit!"
"This is amazing and such a huge help, thank you for this brilliant idea!"
What our corporate partners have shown us
- People use it for real life, not luxury. It’s the overflowing laundry basket, the grocery run, the seasonal closet swap, or the birthday party prep that would otherwise take over a weekend.
- A little help goes a long way. Even a few hours a month can change how someone shows up at work and at home.
- Feeling supported builds loyalty. When people feel seen as whole humans, not just employees, it shows in how they show up.
- Flexibility wins. Every household’s to-do list is different, so the best programs let employees decide how to use their support.
Support has to be more than a policy
Most companies say they value work-life balance. Fewer make it possible. Flexible schedules and paid leave matter, but even with both, there are often just too many demands on people’s time. That’s when burnout, frustration and turnover start to creep in.
Practical support that actually lightens the load is a win for everyone. Employees get time and energy back. Employers get teams that are more focused, more present and more likely to stay.
The research agrees
- 69% of employees report moderate to high burnout risk, but only 45% of employers think their people are at risk, a 24-point gap. (Care.com 2025 Future of Benefits Report)
- 84% of employers say burnout has a moderate to high impact on retention. (Care.com)
- 19% of employees have already left a job because their employer didn’t offer family care benefits. (Care.com)
- 54% of working parents say their work schedules regularly conflict with parenting, and time management is their biggest challenge (57%). (KPMG Working Parents Survey, 2025)
- 46% of working parents want employer programs that prevent burnout and support well-being. (KPMG)
Where we go from here
When we started TULA, we were just two moms trying to make our own lives a little more manageable. Six years later, we get to help families and the companies that employ them make work and home fit together a little better.
We’re more convinced than ever that work-life balance isn’t a perk or a buzzword. It’s the future of work. And sometimes, the most meaningful thing an employer can offer isn’t another policy. It’s permission to ask for help.
Want to offer TULA to your team? Let’s talk. We’d love to create a program that fits your people.