Work Life Balance    

Work-life balance issues are now high on the national agenda. The Government is promoting the development of work-life balance practice across all sectors, and is committed to helping to create a society which supports people in balancing the pressures of work and private life at an individual, family and community level. An array of social and economic change has moved this up the agenda. Developments in information technology have also changed how work is done and services delivered.

Attitudes are changing towards the traditional long hours culture. The increase in the number of women in paid employment means that there are an increasing number of working parents having to fit childcare responsibilities within the ‘9 to 5’ day. Expectations are also changing with regard to the hours that services should be available for, as more organisations offer services out with the traditional hours during evenings and weekends.

The ongoing development of family friendly policies and practices during recent years has achieved a great deal in helping employees to balance the demands of parenthood and working life. But they go further than this. They open up the possibility of promoting work-life balance for all employees, regardless of their family circumstances. Traditional working patterns are changing and new ideas about when, where, and how we work are gaining ground. It is important for the voluntary sector to keep pace with new thinking and what is available in other sectors, not only for the well-being of our employees but also to ensure that we can continue to recruit and retain the experienced and skilled staff we need. The cost of recruitment, retraining and loss of investment in staff skills associated with high staff turnover, far outweigh any minimal additional costs associated with some of the work-life policies and practices that many organisations have now successfully introduced.’

But what about the cost implications?

Many organisations have expressed concerns about the cost implications of introducing work-life balance practices. Work-life balance encompasses a broad range of different policies and practices, many of which do not have any actual cost implications but rely on a more imaginative approach to everyday working conditions. Flexible working arrangements are the most common, including such arrangements as flexible working hours, part-time/job share arrangements, unpaid leave, compressed and annualised hours. Special carer leave arrangements and childcare support and information are other important areas that can contribute to a greater work-life balance. Some organisations also provide additional employee support in the form of information and advice about work-life balance or counselling services.

The costs of not introducing work-life balance policies can be higher. Replacing a member of staff is costly when you take into account the costs of recruitment, training, management time and lost productivity and the lost investment made in the members of staff moving on. Long hours and lack of flexibility also take their toll on people, leading to poorer outputs, low morale and lack of effectiveness. Absenteeism is costly in terms of lost productivity, disruption to other staff and workloads and the costs of temporary cover. In a survey of voluntary sector chief executives and senior personnel staff carried out by Parents at Work in association with ACEVO (Balancing Work and Home in the Voluntary Sector – 2000), all those interviewed agreed that the cost of implementing work-life policies is more than repaid by increased staff productivity. 43% of those surveyed reported having a long hours culture and most also made the point that work-life balance practices compensated to some extent the very committed, often overworked, staff for the typically lower rates of pay in the sector.

The Benefits of Work-life Balance

The benefits of introducing work-life balance practices can be seen in organisations across the country. The main benefits highlighted by a range of studies into the experiences of employers to date include: