|
The UK Government recently launched a
campaign for achieving a healthy work-life balance, which is to be
applauded.
Key areas highlighted by the government
for action by employers are:
- knowing that
both employers and employees benefit from work-life balance
- understanding
that part time does not mean half hearted
- wanting
employees to enjoy their full holiday entitlement
- encouraging
them to work from home when appropriate
- enabling
employees to share jobs and adopt flexible hours in school
holidays
- allowing
their employees paid paternity and maternity leave.
Accompanying the
campaign is a website
www.dti.gov.uk/work-lifebalance/
which carries basic information and the published discussion
documents, plus a list of companies supporting the Work-Life
initiative.
These companies
are all large employers. One challenge for the government, as well as
spreading the word amongst all employers, is to come up with ways to
support smaller companies as they develop work-life policies and
practices where it may
involve an initial investment. At the moment the only special
arrangements for small businesses are exemptions from family-friendly
policies....which sends out an odd message about the value and
benefits of family-friendly and work-life balance policies.
|
| "One challenge for the
government is to come up with ways to
support smaller companies as they develop work-life practices" |
|
