Work-Life Balance
Jane Coleman, Assistant Director of
Personnel Services
Definition
Work-life balance (WLB) is achieved
when an individual’s right to a fulfilled
life inside and outside paid work is
accepted and respected as the norm, to
the mutual benefit of the individual,
business and society.
[Employers and work-life balance – the Work
Foundation]
Positive Benefits
• Reduced sickness absence and stress
• Greater commitment and motivation
• Increased productivity – individual and
organisation
• Improved recruitment and retention of
talent
• Enhanced customer service/reputation
Work preferences
• Workers spend on average equivalent of 32 days a
year travelling to and from work & 1/3 of employees
would take pay cut if could work from home [YouGov &
WebEx survey 2006]
• 1 in 3 would prefer flexible working hours to £1k pay
rise & right to work flexibly valued more highly than
any other perk, including company car [DTI survey]
• 7.4 million part-time workers in UK [ONS, 2004] – 78%
of whom are women
Attitudes towards WLB
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Treadmill athletes
Success-seekers
Home heroes
Free spirits
Balance masters
Which one are you?!
Legal Framework
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Working Time Regulations
Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations
Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations
Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less
Favourable Treatment) Regulations
• Flexible Working Regulations
- Forthcoming in April 2007– amendment to include carers
WLB Framework
(1) Policies and practices
(2) Support for individual employee &
capability (equipping them with skills to
manage own WLB)
(3) Culture change
Individual Capability
• Understand various demands on your time &
your emotional/mental energy
• Be clear about your priorities
• Spend reflective time to find ways to work
smarter and play smarter
• Manage expectations and accept
consequences of choices
• Build resilience and ability to stick to choices
[D Clutterbuck, “Managing Work-life Balance” 2003]
Barriers to Effective WLB
• Organisational level
• Individual level
What does Warwick offer?
• Flexible Working Policies/Guidelines – options
available include Unpaid Leave; Part-time (reduced
hours); Term-time only; Staggered Hours; Flexi-time;
Job Share; Compressed Hours.
• Nursery provision & childcare vouchers etc
• Springboard programme
• Enhanced maternity & paternity leave etc
• Sports facilities on campus
• Occupational Health and Counselling services
• Mentoring scheme
Other Options
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Teleworking
Career breaks for carers/other staff
Study leave for non-academic staff
Flexible benefits package – eg additional
holiday in lieu of pay or other benefits
• Personal development plans
• Phased retirement
• Time off for community work/duties
Group Discussion
• Group 1:
Consider ways in which you can improve
your own WLB and/or that of your team
• Group 2:
What can the University do to improve the
WLB of its employees?
Questions