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Flexibility central to work-life balance

Conference heavyweights endorse flexible working 

The growing momentum behind the movement for improved work-life balance was showcased at a recent conference, Work-Life Balance: Changing Patterns in a Changing World. 

The business case

Too many employers still see measures for work-life balance in terms of imposition, or  cost. But one of the key messages from the conference was that there are business advantages in "valuing diversity". And you're not going to get that diversity with rigid employment policies that emphasise sameness.

Jon Whiteley, Senior HR Manager at Lloyd's TSB, outlined the "business drivers for a diversity strategy". His arguments for such a strategy included:

• Commercial business sense

  • diverse workforces better understand diverse customer needs

  • mirroring customer profiles is a valuable business tool

• Attracting, retaining and developing the best people

  • Widening pools of talent will improve employer-of-choice and retention strategies

• Innovation and creativity

  • diversity improves quality of thought, behaviour and outputs

  • diverse teams reach higher quality decisions than homogenous ones.

Stephen Bevan of the Institute for Employment Studies underpinned his presentation the "Business Case for Flexible Working" with an analysis of the future workforce. In 2010, he argued, the workforce will have:

• 3 million more workers over 35 years

• 1.3 million fewer aged 25-35
  (so likelihood that a higher proportion of workers will have family caring responsibilities)

• only 20% of workforce made up of white, able-bodied men under 45 years

• 12 million over 65s being cared for by a growing number of working women over 50

• 80% of workforce growth accounted for by women - the majority in part-time work

A key issue remains however addressing employer concerns, such as:

• equating work-life policies with "red tape"

• emphasising the costs rather than the benefits

• seeing work life as a "women's issue" - a strategy for working fathers is needed

• line manager resistance

• colleague resentment.

All these can be overcome by developing clear management policies, linking innovative working practices to improved performance.

Government and unions on board

Elsewhere in Flexibility we report on the UK government's Work-Life initiatives. But the increasing emphasis on flexible working as a route to achieving it is surely to be welcomed. Minister for Employment Margaret Hodge outlined the government's approach,, and opportunities for the public, private and academic sectors to work together to identify and promote best practice.

It was good also to see John Monks of the TUC moving forward from previously negative attitudes to flexible work. Previous policy and research from the TUC has tended to to see flexibility as a means for exploiting the workforce. It seems like through promoting the worth of work-life balance the TUC may at last be coming to understand better the potential for employee advantages being gained through more flexible working.