Work-Life Balance - What is Flexible Working?

Work-life Balance - What is Flexible Working?

What is WLB? | Case Studies | Weblinks | Contact

Delegates discuss work-life Balance issues Put simply, flexible working is a way of balancing the demands on workers from their home-life and from work. It's a way of working that gives staff the freedom to pursue activities and responsibilities outside work (such as childcare), but without impinging on work responsibilities and productivity.

Why?
Research consistently shows that if staff are happy at work and can live a balanced life, then they are also more productive which is a benefit to the business. The demographic profile of the population is also changing, and with it so too are people’s expectations. Shifts in attitude mean that people are more likely to work for companies that have good flexible working practices and policies rather than those that don't. This results in companies recruiting, training and retaining more easily the staff with the skills they need.

This will increasingly become an issue for employers and it is clear that we will have to change the way we work over the next 20 years and have a positive approach to becoming model workplaces.

What should I do?
Successful flexible working strategies can be achieved by changing attitudes and improving on existing initiatives which may have been introduced on an ad-hoc basis. The key is to listen to your staff, ensure you understand the profile of your workforce, and to come up with solutions which are not only appropriate to your business needs but which help your staff to balance work with their home responsibilities and aspirations.

Flexible working

Flexible working is now a key component of running a successful business with benefits often directly increasing business profit, as well as staff well-being. It has never been a better time to improve your business performance by simply offering flexible working opportunities and benefits to your staff through good work-life balance policies.

Benefits of having good flexible working policies in place:

can help individuals to manage their personal priorities, which helps reduce stress, and enables you to recruit a more diverse workforce.
can help managers with performance improvements and they will benefit from a more committed workforce.
can help managers comply with legislation, assist the development of good working practices, and save on recruitment and training expenses.
can help facilitate the development of a change in culture, improve the corporate social responsibility and community image of your organisation, and at the same time will improve employee relations.
By looking at your business and workforce profile, policies can be developed to help staff balance work and home responsibilities. By tying this into your business priorities you can ensure that work-life balance policies have a positive effect on the success and profitability of your company.

The Government recognises the importance of work-life balance and flexible working. It has introduced policies such as The National Childcare Strategy, Paid Paternity Leave and 'The Right to Request - flexible working' to help parents in particular achieve a better quality of life.

So what are the benefits of having good work-life balance practices and policies?

Increased productivity
A DTI study in 2003 revealed that many companies saw a positive increase in productivity and improved recruitment and retention. One major Telecommunications business saved millions in recruitment costs as more women returned after maternity leave.

Lower rates of absenteeism and staff turnover
A local company Bacharach Europe Ltd, based in Leamington Spa, has experienced a significant reduction both in sickness absence and in staff turnover all due to its work-life balance policies. Bruce Draper, company MD says 'This has resulted in less disruption, enhanced core skills, reduced HR costs and a more efficient workforce'.

Reduced overheads
By increasing numbers of home workers, companies can save millions of pounds in overheads such as fuel costs as well as on office space. Local company, Domestic & General Group based in Bedworth, piloted a homeworking scheme in 2004 and found many benefits including less travel, freedom to work hours that suit and a reduction in childcare costs for many staff. As a result employees are able to work longer in comfort and easily fit work and personal time together.

An improved customer experience
There are countless benefits to a more motivated, satisfied and equitable workforce. The DTI found that nearly all employers agreed that people work best when they can achieve a work-life balance, and this reflects in the service that they provide. Better customer service always results in better recognition for the company and thus increased profits.

So what are you waiting for? Improve your business with better work-life balance policies today!

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Work-life Balance - What is Flexible Working?
What is WLB? \| Case Studies \| Weblinks \| Contact
	Put simply, flexible working is a way of balancing the demands on workers from their home-life and from work. It's a way of working that gives staff the freedom to pursue activities and responsibilities outside work (such as childcare), but without impinging on work responsibilities and productivity. Why? Research consistently shows that if staff are happy at work and can live a balanced life, then they are also more productive which is a benefit to the business. The demographic profile of the population is also changing, and with it so too are people’s expectations. Shifts in attitude mean that people are more likely to work for companies that have good flexible working practices and policies rather than those that don't. This results in companies recruiting, training and retaining more easily the staff with the skills they need.
This will increasingly become an issue for employers and it is clear that we will have to change the way we work over the next 20 years and have a positive approach to becoming model workplaces. What should I do? Successful flexible working strategies can be achieved by changing attitudes and improving on existing initiatives which may have been introduced on an ad-hoc basis. The key is to listen to your staff, ensure you understand the profile of your workforce, and to come up with solutions which are not only appropriate to your business needs but which help your staff to balance work with their home responsibilities and aspirations.

Flexible working Flexible working is now a key component of running a successful business with benefits often directly increasing business profit, as well as staff well-being. It has never been a better time to improve your business performance by simply offering flexible working opportunities and benefits to your staff through good work-life balance policies. Benefits of having good flexible working policies in place: can help individuals to manage their personal priorities, which helps reduce stress, and enables you to recruit a more diverse workforce. can help managers with performance improvements and they will benefit from a more committed workforce. can help managers comply with legislation, assist the development of good working practices, and save on recruitment and training expenses. can help facilitate the development of a change in culture, improve the corporate social responsibility and community image of your organisation, and at the same time will improve employee relations. By looking at your business and workforce profile, policies can be developed to help staff balance work and home responsibilities. By tying this into your business priorities you can ensure that work-life balance policies have a positive effect on the success and profitability of your company. The Government recognises the importance of work-life balance and flexible working. It has introduced policies such as The National Childcare Strategy, Paid Paternity Leave and 'The Right to Request - flexible working' to help parents in particular achieve a better quality of life.

So what are the benefits of having good work-life balance practices and policies? Increased productivity A DTI study in 2003 revealed that many companies saw a positive increase in productivity and improved recruitment and retention. One major Telecommunications business saved millions in recruitment costs as more women returned after maternity leave. Lower rates of absenteeism and staff turnover A local company Bacharach Europe Ltd, based in Leamington Spa, has experienced a significant reduction both in sickness absence and in staff turnover all due to its work-life balance policies. Bruce Draper, company MD says 'This has resulted in less disruption, enhanced core skills, reduced HR costs and a more efficient workforce'. Reduced overheads By increasing numbers of home workers, companies can save millions of pounds in overheads such as fuel costs as well as on office space. Local company, Domestic & General Group based in Bedworth, piloted a homeworking scheme in 2004 and found many benefits including less travel, freedom to work hours that suit and a reduction in childcare costs for many staff. As a result employees are able to work longer in comfort and easily fit work and personal time together. An improved customer experience There are countless benefits to a more motivated, satisfied and equitable workforce. The DTI found that nearly all employers agreed that people work best when they can achieve a work-life balance, and this reflects in the service that they provide. Better customer service always results in better recognition for the company and thus increased profits. So what are you waiting for? Improve your business with better work-life balance policies today!