Work-Life Manual
Executive Summary
The business case for having a work-life strategy
The long term
success of any organisation depends to a large extent on its people - their
level of commitment, expertise, creativity and dedication to quality and
customer care. There is a growing body of evidence to show that good people
management has direct bottom line benefits in terms of overall business
performance.
New management style
How we manage people, reflecting the
workplace as a whole, is undergoing rapid change. In today's economic
climate, organisations need a workforce that is stable and committed
but also more adaptable and flexible to meet the business challenges
ahead. Likewise, employees are placing more value on 'quality of working
life' and seeking greater flexibility so that they can manage work commitments
alongside personal and family life.
In response to these changing demands, organisations must take a fresh
look at the work-life equation, balancing business needs alongside those
of the individual. At the core of any good people management strategy,
therefore, lies the need to consider work-life balance for people at all
stages of the life-cycle - senior members of staff as well as junior, men
as well as women.
Policies that support your work-life strategy
Policies and
practices that can form part of a work-life strategy, helping people to
combine work with family and personal life, are already becoming more evident
among UK employers. They may vary according to the size and make-up of
the organisation and need not require major financial outlay. In most cases,
the return on investment should be clearly demonstrable.
Innovative Work Organisation
A wide range of working
options have now been tried and tested by employers. These can help you
improve business performance as well as accommodate changing employee needs.
Examples include: flexitime, compressed working week, part-time or 'V'
time, job-sharing, annualised hours, home/teleworking, term-time working.
Some organisations are also reviewing working hours in order to curb presenteeism
or a 'long hours culture'.
Employee Development
Personal development plans and appraisals
provide you with an opportunity to review work-life balance on a regular
basis and make necessary adjustments before problems arise. Some organisations
offer courses on balancing work and home and/or stress management. Managers
are now being targeted with training on the subject and 360 degree appraisals
and employee satisfaction surveys can be used to measure progress.
Leave Provision
As well as the statutory minimum requirements
relating to maternity leave and new parental and family leave (due to take
effect from December 99), you can opt for other forms of leave, such as
career breaks for carers, study leave or additional holiday leave in lieu
of other employee benefits.
Employee support
As well as flexible working and additional
leave, you can help employees with caring responsibilities (possibly a
substantial proportion of your workforce) with extra assistance. This may
take the form of information on local care providers, sponsorship of schemes,
payment of allowances, such as childcare vouchers or even on-site provision
in some cases where this is financially viable.
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