Work-life balance for military families is possible with digital signage

Photo Credit: iStockPhoto.com

Military service can put a heavy strain on the lives of families involved. With long deployments in dangerous corners of the world and the prolonged stress soldiers and families feel being apart, the well-being of the family can suffer.

Thankfully, military bases are exploring new options to improve the quality of life for the soldiers and families stationed on their bases, and digital signage is proving to be a crucial part of their communications efforts.

Here are a few ways military bases are using signage solutions to ease the work-life balance of their inhabitants:

Communal Activities

One of the best parts of military life is the sense of community that comes with service. Veterans build deep connections within their divisions and active-duty families bond together when soldiers are away on deployment.

Because of this built-in camaraderie in the military, it’s easy to see why bringing people together in shared experiences is so important to the morale of the population. It helps individuals understand that others in their communities struggle with the same issues they face, and together they can work together to find solutions.

Digital signs in communal rec centers around a military base can advertise specialized events for families to connect with others. These events can be anything from charity walkathons to Halloween costume contests, or even just opportunities for individuals to express themselves, like this photo contest for children of military families:

Activities like these are also fantastic at easing the work-life balance of military parents while their spouse is away on deployment. It gives them a safe, productive environment for their child to develop and grow and gives the primary caretakers a break to enjoy themselves.

Advertise Special Base Deals

Often times, concerns about money can create significant anxiety in families and can greatly disturb one’s work-life balance in order to simply make ends meet.

This means that discounts and special sales are so helpful, and it is no different for restaurants and shops on military bases. Whenever a store wants to advertise and promote discounts to military families, they can do so with their own signage solutions like menu boards or video walls, or they can share the news on base-wide digital signage platforms.

Photo Credit: Mvix

Additionally, local businesses or museums that offer military discounts for soldiers and their families can use the same tactics to draw interest to their wares. Either way, digital signage is good for business.

Direct Engagement

Although each military branch has significant resources dedicated specifically to improve quality of life for its soldiers and their families, sometimes a more localized approach is required to make the most impact within the community.

Some branches have introduced new initiatives called Family Action Plans that give citizen members of the military community a platform to voice quality-of-life issues, feedback, ideas, and suggestions. It’s a way to leadership know about what works, what doesn’t, and how enlisted families think problems can be resolved.

Photo Credit: Mvix

In this regard, digital signage can be a powerful tool for members of the military community to provide feedback on base life and recommend new initiatives for managing work-life balance. The teams in charge of running the Family Action Plans can post links to surveys or forums where families can write about their experiences and videos informing inhabitants about new changes can keep everyone informed and up to date.

Making a Difference

Families know that they have to sacrifice on some aspects of their lives when they choose to enter a military life. But that doesn’t mean that their work-life balance or quality of life has to suffer. With digital signage and engaging social programs, military families can thrive and grow even under great duress.