Given the competitive nature of sales professionals, it can seem difficult — and nearly counterintuitive — to find work-life balance.
In truth, many people pursue sales careers out of an inherent desire to push themselves, which is great for organizations with ambitious goals. However, when reps prioritize hitting targets over personal well-being, burnout increases, hindering individual performance and, ultimately, team success.
Senior Director and Head of Strategic Accounts Michael Kelly and his fellow sales leaders at financial wellness solutions provider Inspira Financial understand this well, which is why they help reps find simple, realistic ways to recharge.
“We encourage short breaks between call blocks, flexibility in how people structure their day and stepping away when needed to reset and come back focused,” Kelly said.
While making time to unwind is essential to staying balanced in sales, it’s equally important to ensure workloads are sustainable. Sales Director Keith Blankenship and his fellow sales leaders at process mining company Celonis do this by aligning total addressable to individual bandwidth, ensuring reps maintain a high-touch focus on qualified accounts without exceeding their operational limit.
“This ensures every account receives the deep research and personalization required for complex enterprise cycles,” Blankenship said.
Below, Kelly, Blankenship and sales leaders from six other companies share how their employers create sustainable workloads on their sales teams, the benefits and rituals that help reps recharge, and how they encourage work-life balance while maintaining performance excellence.
Celonis leverages process mining and AI to create a digital twin, or dynamic digital model, of an organization’s end-to-end processes, providing a common understanding of how the business operates as well as where hidden value can be unlocked and how to capitalize on this value.
How does Celonis ensure sustainable workloads for its sales teams?
At Celonis, strategic territory design balances market density with rep capacity. By aligning total addressable market to individual bandwidth, enterprise reps maintain a high-touch focus on qualified accounts without exceeding their operational limit. This ensures every account receives the deep research and personalization required for complex enterprise cycles.
What benefits or rituals help your employees recharge during high-volume periods?
At Celonis, we champion a culture of ownership through an unrestricted PTO policy. We empower our sales professionals with the operational autonomy to manage their own schedules, ensuring that high-impact performance and personal well-being coexist. By prioritizing work-life integration, we ensure our team has the flexibility to put family, health and personal commitments first.
“We empower our sales professionals with the operational autonomy to manage their own schedules, ensuring that high-impact performance and personal well-being coexist.”
How do leaders encourage work-life balance while maintaining performance excellence?
As a leader, I focus on operational flexibility and travel optimization for my team. By aligning client-facing activities with individual family obligations, we strive to eliminate the friction between career growth and personal well-being. This autonomy-first approach ensures our sales team remains energized, fulfilled and focused on delivering world-class results.
Braze is a leading customer engagement platform that powers lasting connections between consumers and brands they love through cross-channel messaging and journey orchestration to Al-powered experimentation and optimization.
How does Braze ensure sustainable workloads for its sales teams?
Enterprise software sales is a high-pressure job and can be a pretty intense environment. Being energized by Braze’s vision, product, company culture and celebrating our customers’ successes keeps motivation high. But, like any revenue team at a high-growth, publicly traded company, we navigate the realities of heavy workloads, and ensuring a sustainable workload is not a perfect science. We focus on sustainable workloads by working to ensure our efforts are highly efficient and impactful to the business, and by removing operational roadblocks. We maintain open communication lines with reps to identify bottlenecks, misaligned resources or signs of capacity strain early, and then take action to make sure everyone is supported.
“We maintain open communication lines with reps to identify bottlenecks, misaligned resources or signs of capacity strain early, and then take action to make sure everyone is supported.”
Closing a deal that helps the world’s leading brands transform how they connect with their customers is genuinely exciting, and that sense of impact and shared wins is a big part of what makes the intensity worth it at Braze. Best of all? You’ll work alongside brilliant minds who are just as fun to hang out with as they are exceptional at what they do.
What benefits or rituals help your employees recharge during high-volume periods?
During high-volume moments, like the end of a quarter, our focus is on maintaining momentum while actively supporting and celebrating our people. You might find our team recharging with a stroll around Madison Square Park, enjoying the sun on our office terraces, getting an in-office massage or attending a virtual mediation hosted by our HealthyMinds at Braze ERG, or at our favorite neighborhood pub or karaoke bar, celebrating together when the day is done.
Braze also invests in well-being more broadly, from flexible PTO that allows people to take the time they actually need to our annual wellness festival in May, a dedicated companywide event to help employees recharge. This mix of everyday rituals and company-backed well-being programs reflect a culture that genuinely embodies work-life harmony.
How do leaders encourage work-life balance while maintaining performance excellence?
I view high performance and team well-being as mutually reinforcing engines, not competing
priorities. Maintaining this balance is a continuous, collective effort. As a manager, by treating my team as individuals with autonomy to manage their territories like entrepreneurs, I foster a culture of ownership, develop trust, and am able to offer flexibility to encourage work-life balance without sacrificing results. I encourage my team to take time away from work to recharge and will also be the first one to ask to hear about their time away! I also encourage my team to completely unplug while on PTO.
It’s also important to me that I lead by example here. Braze’s culture makes this easier than you might expect at a high-growth, global company: flexible PTO, leadership that openly prioritizes our well-being, and the feeling that when you push hard, it’s toward something exciting.
Combining deep observability, AIOps and application security, Dynatrace’s platform helps teams understand the performance of their applications and the user experience.
How does Dynatrace ensure sustainable workloads for its sales teams?
In the sales development representative role at Dynatrace, the workload is structured around clear daily expectations. There are usually around 100 activities per day, with about half being cold calls, so there’s definitely a steady pace. At the same time, a big part of being successful is taking the time to truly understand your accounts and personalize your outreach, which adds another layer to balance.
It can be demanding, but we’re set up to make it manageable. Strong tools and data guide us toward the right accounts, so we’re not just working hard — we’re working smart. Managers also play a big role in helping prioritize and create focus, which makes the workload feel more sustainable day to day.
Overall, it’s about finding that balance between staying productive and being intentional with your time. When that clicks, it allows you to keep up the pace without burning out.
What benefits or rituals help your employees recharge during high-volume periods?
One of my favorite perks at Dynatrace is our quarterly wellness days. They’re a game-changer, especially during those high-volume stretches. Each quarter, we all get a Friday off, which gives everyone a real chance to unplug and reset.
What makes it even better is the energy leading up to it. People are always chatting about their plans. Whether it’s traveling, spending time with family or just doing nothing, it creates a buzz around the office. It’s something everyone looks forward to. Dynatrace wellness days are a clear sign that it’s OK — and even encouraged — to step away and recharge.
“Dynatrace wellness days are a clear sign that it’s OK — and even encouraged — to step away and recharge.”
How do leaders encourage work-life balance while maintaining performance excellence?
In an SDR role, there can be some pressure. Everyone is working toward a monthly quota, which can feel intense at times. However, it’s important to take time off when needed. We need to take care of ourselves so we can perform at our best.
There’s a strong understanding that hitting targets isn’t about grinding nonstop; it’s about being consistent, focused and energized over time. Managers play a big role by helping prioritize work, setting realistic expectations and checking in regularly to make sure SDRs aren’t burning out.
I know taking time off can feel like falling behind, but it’s what helps us stay sharp and successful month after month.
Inspira Financial provides health, wealth, retirement and benefits solutions for over 7 million accountholders.
How does Inspira Financial ensure sustainable workloads for its sales teams?
At Inspira, we’re intentional about keeping workloads sustainable, especially for sales teams focused on finding new opportunities and uncovering white space. We’re clear on priorities and expectations, so teams know where to focus their time instead of chasing everything at once.
Leaders regularly check in on territory coverage, pipeline health and overall capacity to make sure effort is going where it will have the biggest impact. We also invest in tools, data and cross-functional support that help cut down on busywork, so our people can spend more time having real conversations with prospects.
“Leaders regularly check in on territory coverage, pipeline health and overall capacity to make sure effort is going where it will have the biggest impact.”
Equally important, we keep communication open. If something starts to feel overwhelming, we address it early by adjusting goals, reallocating work or adding support. That’s how our teams stay motivated and effective, even when things get busy.
What benefits or rituals help your employees recharge during high-volume periods?
During high-volume periods, we focus on simple, realistic ways to help people recharge. We encourage short breaks between call blocks, flexibility in how people structure their day and stepping away when needed to reset and come back focused.
We also make a point to recognize effort, not just outcomes. Celebrating meetings booked, strong outreach or a creative approach goes a long way when the pace is high. Quick team huddles give people a chance to share wins, talk through challenges, and stay connected.
After especially busy stretches, we’re intentional about encouraging time off without guilt. Sustained performance comes from feeling supported and trusted, and those small habits and moments of recognition make a real difference.
How do leaders encourage work-life balance while maintaining performance excellence?
We start by being clear on priorities and keeping expectations realistic, even in a performance-driven environment. We focus on outcomes and quality conversations, not just volume, so people can work smarter instead of longer.
Leaders check in often, adjust when things feel heavy, and try to lead by example. That means actually respecting time boundaries, not just talking about it. When people feel trusted and supported, they perform at a high level and have a life outside of work. For us, those two things aren’t in conflict.
Achieve is dedicated to helping consumers build a better financial future for themselves by enabling them to find the right financial solution, such as a personal loan, a home equity loan, debt relief or online resources to help them more effectively control their expenses and save money.
How does Achieve ensure sustainable workloads for its sales teams?
We focus on sustainable workloads by using data-driven capacity planning and performance-based lead allocation so our sales teams can spend more time selling and less time on administrative work.
We regularly evaluate metrics like lead distribution, conversion rates and rep capacity to identify signs of overload or inefficiencies early. We also partner closely with sales leadership to ensure quotas and activity expectations are realistic.
“We regularly evaluate metrics like lead distribution, conversion rates and rep capacity to identify signs of overload or inefficiencies early.”
From an operations perspective, we prioritize automation, process standardization and strong enablement support to reduce manual tasks and burnout. We also align lead opportunities with each rep’s demonstrated strengths and conversion performance to help maximize both team efficiency and individual success. Ultimately, the goal is to create an environment where teams can consistently perform at a high level without sacrificing long-term productivity, morale or retention.
What benefits or rituals help your employees recharge during high-volume periods?
We provide more overtime to give different schedules some relief as well as watch lead volume and full-time equivalent hours to plan for coverage when needed. We also promote some schedule flexibility when needed.
The sales directors celebrate weekly higher performance in a video they provide to the floor. Operationally, we focus heavily on reducing unnecessary friction through automation, process, improvements and cross-functional support so the burden doesn’t fall entirely on the frontline teams.
How do leaders encourage work-life balance while maintaining performance excellence?
Our leaders set clear priorities, maintaining realistic performance expectations and focusing on outcomes. High performance is more sustainable when employees feel supported, trusted and empowered to manage their time effectively. They maintain open communication with their teams, regularly assess workloads, and point out areas of opportunity for their teams early on to help us adjust. They also emphasize operational efficiency by streamlining processes and leveraging automation so employees can focus on high-value work instead of unnecessary administrative tasks.
Managers foster a strong culture of accountability and performance excellence through clear goals, data-driven decision-making and ongoing coaching. When employees have the right support, resources and balance, they’re able to consistently perform at a high level over the long term.
MVF is an integrated media and marketing company that specializes in services related to lead generation, advertising and market insights.
How does MVF ensure sustainable workloads for its sales teams?
Ensuring sustainable workloads in sales is tough because the profession attracts naturally highly driven, competitive people. To prevent burnout, we focus on three things: First, we balance our metrics. We look at a mix of short-term inputs and long-term pipeline health so reps aren’t forced into a state of constant, short-sighted panic to hit a weekly number.
Second, we actively counter “hustle culture.” High performance is required, but our leadership team models boundaries. We don’t just talk about having balance; we measure outcomes rather than hours logged.
Finally, we treat our salespeople like entrepreneurs, not widgets. We resist micromanagement. While we provide a proven sales methodology and rigorous support, we give our reps the independence to manage their own time and styles. Our goal is to help them become the most efficient version of themselves, rather than trying to manufacture identical robots.
“While we provide a proven sales methodology and rigorous support, we give our reps the independence to manage their own time and styles.”
What benefits or rituals help your employees recharge during high-volume periods?
High-volume periods are intense, so our focus is on giving people the space to disconnect and maintaining a strong social support network. We have a very active social scene at MVF with regular gatherings across different business units, alongside several internal sports clubs and networks run by the team themselves. It’s about giving people an organic way to clear their heads with their peers.
From a leadership perspective, we try to alleviate pressure during peak times by focusing on input and process rather than obsessing over short-term outcomes. We actively encourage people to respect standard working hours, look after themselves, whether that’s through exercise, travel or other interests, and trust that if they follow the process, the results will come.
How do leaders encourage work-life balance while maintaining performance excellence?
We encourage balance by removing the focus from time logged and placing it entirely on outcomes achieved. No one gets extra points at MVF for sitting at a desk for an extra three hours just to look busy. We are here to be productive and win together. To balance that with excellence, we set realistic, challenging targets through a collaborative, two-way conversation. Once those goals are set, we focus on high-intensity execution.
Our leaders are not there to make the job easy. Sales is inherently challenging, and there is immense satisfaction in overcoming those challenges as a team. Our job as leaders is to provide the support and resources that enable efficiency during working hours, and by protecting downtime, we ensure the team returns each day with the energy and focus required to maintain a high standard of performance.
Jasper’s marketing solutions are designed to help marketers automate and accelerate processes, collaborate on projects and more.
How does Jasper ensure sustainable workloads for its sales teams?
First off, we start with thoughtful territory design. Reps are assigned books of business and targets that reflect real market opportunity, and we revisit those numbers regularly to ensure territory design provides a path to quota attainment. Additionally, there is a support infrastructure built around each AE, from a dedicated sales engineer to legal to enablement. In short, an AE who’s running on empty won’t close at their best, and we do everything we can to support an AE’s success.
“Reps are assigned books of business and targets that reflect real market opportunity, and we revisit those numbers regularly to ensure territory design provides a path to quota attainment.”
What benefits or rituals help your employees recharge during high-volume periods?
Enterprise sales naturally comes with high-volume periods; as much as the team pushes deals throughout the quarter, there’s inevitably a strong push to close each quarter. While these high-volume periods are unavoidable, in addition to the support infrastructure built around the AEs, managers are in the weeds in every deal, providing not just strategic insight, but tactical, deal-closing support. Then, in the non high-volume periods, AEs are encouraged to rest and recharge. Jasper even provides a flex experience budget that employees can apply to anything, from personal travel and cultural experiences to spa days.
How do leaders encourage work-life balance while maintaining performance excellence?
The leaders at Jasper, myself included, operate around the belief that people who feel respected, rested and supported consistently outperform people who are simply showing up each day. We offer flexible PTO that’s genuinely encouraged, not just technically available, and managers model this by taking time off themselves. Jasper offers a flex wellness stipend that gives employees the autonomy to recharge in whatever way works for them, whether that’s a gym membership, a meditation app or simply a weekend away. We actively encourage logging off, taking vacations and being transparent about personal limits.
EDGE, a NinjaHoldings brand, offers a platform that measures consumer credit risk by leveraging data related to income, spending and balance history.
How does EDGE ensure sustainable workloads for its sales teams?
The biggest mistake sales orgs make is setting quotas first and figuring out how the team will hit them second. We do it the other way around. Quotas are built bottom up from territory data and historical conversion rates, then stress-tested against what’s actually been done in comparable markets. That alone removes a huge amount of the unsustainable pressure that comes from arbitrary numbers.
“Quotas are built bottom up from territory data and historical conversion rates, then stress-tested against what’s actually been done in comparable markets.”
The other piece is pipeline hygiene as a leading indicator. We pay attention to whether reps are heading into quarter close with healthy coverage or scrambling. Scrambling is a process problem, not a hustle problem. When we see it, we look at sourcing, qualification and forecasting first, not at whether someone is working hard enough. The signal it’s working is consistent quarterly performance without month-end heroics.
What benefits or rituals help your employees recharge during high-volume periods?
Unlimited PTO works for us because the leadership team actually takes it. The fastest way to make unlimited PTO a fiction is for senior people to never take it and pretend the policy is real. We watch for that. Beyond the time off, the most-used benefit on our team is the gym membership reimbursement. Most wellness stipends go unused; ours doesn’t. People who exercise consistently have steadier output across the quarter, fewer end-of-quarter crashes and fewer sick days. Our remote work setup matters, too. Being able to work from where you actually live, around your real life, removes a chronic source of low-grade burnout that office-mandated companies absorb without realizing it.
How do leaders encourage work-life balance while maintaining performance excellence?
We do this by holding ourselves to the same norms we expect of the team. Leaders who send Slack messages at midnight signal that that’s a rewarded behavior, no matter what the official policy says. We try not to do that.
The other thing is keeping reviews focused on outcomes rather than activity. We consider if the rep closed the business, if it stuck and if the customer expanded, not how many calls they made on a given Wednesday. That’s a small change in framing, but it’s load-bearing. It removes the incentive to perform availability and lets people work at the rhythm that actually produces results. The signal it’s working is retention. Sales is a tough market for keeping good people right now, and ours stay. That’s the most direct proof that the balance is real, not a slogan.
