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In today’s world it is very hard to find the right balance between work, family and time for ourselves. The UK now has the second highest proportion of men working more than 60 hours per week in the EU, with Ireland coming first. Much of the work, especially amongst managerial staff, is unpaid. There are many reasons given for working the extra hours, including; being expected to, culture of the organisation, wanting to make an impression and even wanting to get away from the demands of family life. Whatever the reasons, long hours or indeed intense working practices are detrimental to the individual and to the organisation for which they work. Long hours usually lead to a reduction in efficiency, an increase in mistakes an increase in stress related illness and an increase in friction/competition amongst employees. Studies show that employees who have active and involving lives outside of the workplace are usually happier, more productive and bring a more rounded approach to their work. They are usually more content, making for better employee and customer relations and they are better able to cope with short-term peaks of work when needed. In addition they are more inclined to stay with an employer who they see as less demanding. Why should employers be interested? The world of work 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. And when employees are asked about work, the two most common concerns are:
Studies show that 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. As many people find that work demands get in the way of their non-work commitments, a greater interest is being shown in the issue of work-life balance. Surveys also show that one in five people, including many managerial and professional workers, take work home almost every day. Technology has enabled many to be continuously accessible, but at what cost? The partners of one in three of people who typically work more than 48 hours a week feel that this has had a negative effect on personal relationships. 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. The benefits are, however much broader ranging. 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 they may want time to travel, study or engage in leisure activities. 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 and an increase in available time to put back into the community through voluntary work projects.. So everybody stands to benefit from policies to improve employees' work-life balance. What is the business case? There are benefits to business when introducing policies to underpin work-life balance issues:
A.P.S. recognise that employers may incur additional costs in adopting policies to support work-life balance, including increased managerial workloads, however these costs are generally outweighed by the gains in achieving strategic objectives. What A.P.S. can offer
For further information contact: Paul Handforth on 0845
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Work/Life
Balance