Work-life balance |
Work-life balance is achieved when an individual’s
right to a fulfilled life inside and outside paid work is accepted
and respected as the norm, to the mutual benefit of the individual,
business and society. |
Business benefits |
Work-life balance business benefits include:
- Increased productivity
- Improved recruitment and retention
- Lower rates of absenteeism
- Reduced overheads
- An improved customer experience
- A more motivated, satisfied and equitable workforce.
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Case studies - problems that work-life
balance has responded to |
- BT
- Needed to develop a 24/7 culture for customers
- Camden
- Needed to gain buy-in from managers
- Elli Lilly
- Needed to attract and retain high calibre employees
- Inland
Revenue - Needed to extend opening hours and
improve work-life balance
- IXL
- Needed to introduce work-life policies in a small
business with no history of work-life balance
- LloydsTSB
- Need to ensure everyone has access to work-life balance
- M&S
- Had large number of parents in the workforce
- PwC
- Needed to manage heavy workload whilst maintaining work-life
balance
- Royal Bank of
Scotland - Need to retain business agility in
an increasingly competitive market
- Unilever
- Needed to develop a consistent strategy across a large business
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Best practice guidelines include: |
- Review business and employee requirements in terms of meeting
customer needs, employee satisfaction and ensuring compatibility
with relevant legislation.
- Research other organisations’ experiences
- Have success measures, including productivity indices, labour
turnover, sickness and absence rates
- Consult with management and staff representatives about implementation
- Support management through implementation- Monitor progress
and amend as appropriate.
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Demographics mean it won’t go away |
The structure of the labour market in the UK has changed
dramatically over the last few years and will continue to change:
- We are in full- or part-time education until
we are older, while more of us are opting to retire at an
earlier age.
- The largest growth in labour market participation
between 1990 and 2000 occurred among mothers with young children.
- It is projected that 66% of the increase in
the UK population between 2000 and 2025 will be attributable
to immigration.
- Young workers look at an organisation’s
track record on corporate social responsibility and are not
afraid to negotiate flexible working terms.
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