What is work-life balance?
Work-life balance : is being aware of different demands on time and able to
allocate time to all the 6 dimensions of human life for finding balance in life.
Why should employers be interested?
The work environment has changed - in the 24-hour, 7-day society, customers expect service at times that suit
them. More and more people have to juggle responsibilities at home and in the workplace.
According to research three out of four people say they are working very hard; many say they are working as hard
as they can and could not imagine being able to work any harder. The surveys also show that one in five people,
including many managerial and professional workers, take work home almost every day.
Despite this overlap between home and work, only 33% of workers say their employer has any family-friendly
practices or personal support services in place.
Who benefits?
Much of the discussion of work-life balance has focused on the ‘family-friendly aspect’ of childcare, and the problems
faced by people with babies, toddlers and school age children but placing most of the emphasis on them is narrow
focus and can alienate some employees as it is not only children who are dependent on others. In the UK, several
million people already act as carers for elderly or disabled friends or members of their family. And employees with no
dependants may have commitments within the community, or other work etc.
Work-life balance is not just for women. Many men stand to benefit in their roles as fathers, partners or
dependants. Society also benefits since stronger and more stable families provide good adult role models, fewer
broken relationships and a reduction in crime and other anti-social behaviour. So everybody stands to benefit from
policies to improve employees' work-life balance.
What is the benefits to business ?
There are several benefits to business when introducing policies for work-life balance
issues:
higher productivity and competitiveness
increased flexibility and customer service, for example to cover for absence and holidays
raised morale, motivation, commitment and engagement
reduced absenteeism
improved recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce
wanting to become an ‘employer of choice’
meeting legal requirements.
Work-life balance : is being aware of different demands on time and able to
allocate time to all the 6 dimensions of human life for finding balance in life.
Why should employers be interested?
The work environment has changed - in the 24-hour, 7-day society, customers expect service at times that suit
them. More and more people have to juggle responsibilities at home and in the workplace.
According to research three out of four people say they are working very hard; many say they are working as hard
as they can and could not imagine being able to work any harder. The surveys also show that one in five people,
including many managerial and professional workers, take work home almost every day.
Despite this overlap between home and work, only 33% of workers say their employer has any family-friendly
practices or personal support services in place.
Who benefits?
Much of the discussion of work-life balance has focused on the ‘family-friendly aspect’ of childcare, and the problems
faced by people with babies, toddlers and school age children but placing most of the emphasis on them is narrow
focus and can alienate some employees as it is not only children who are dependent on others. In the UK, several
million people already act as carers for elderly or disabled friends or members of their family. And employees with no
dependants may have commitments within the community, or other work etc.
Work-life balance is not just for women. Many men stand to benefit in their roles as fathers, partners or
dependants. Society also benefits since stronger and more stable families provide good adult role models, fewer
broken relationships and a reduction in crime and other anti-social behaviour. So everybody stands to benefit from
policies to improve employees' work-life balance.
What is the benefits to business ?
There are several benefits to business when introducing policies for work-life balance
issues:
higher productivity and competitiveness
increased flexibility and customer service, for example to cover for absence and holidays
raised morale, motivation, commitment and engagement
reduced absenteeism
improved recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce
wanting to become an ‘employer of choice’
meeting legal requirements.
