21 March 2001 -
Enterprising businesses are being urged to bid for an additional £5
million support from a £10.5 million government fund to help develop
practical but profitable ways for employees to achieve a better work-life balance.
Margaret Hodge, the Employment Minister was supported by a number of
employers, including London Hilton and Barnardo's, in a drive to deal
with problems such as high staff turnover and absenteeism through
the use of flexible working practices that lead to better work-
life balance.
19 more companies have won a share of the £10.5 million Work-Life
Balance Challenge Fund. According to Margaret Hodge:
"Work-Life Balance is not just about working less, it's
also about how, when and where people work. Everybody gains. Many
employers are already enjoying financial savings from easier
recruitment and better retention, higher staff morale and reduced
absenteeism.
"Both large and small companies are benefiting from adapting their
working practices with our help. Whether you are a health and beauty
salon, a train company, an insurance firm or a county cricket club ,
work-life balance is a win-win-win situation for everyone."
"Today, I'm actively encouraging more employers to seize the
opportunity to bid for our next allocation of Challenge Fund money.
The winners will get our help in adapting the working day to meet
their staffs' needs without sacrificing profit margins - which is
good for your business, customers, employees and their loved ones.
"We often think that work life balance is an issue only for women.
But our research shows that many men would like to have shorter hours
and more flexibility in the way they work. More men than women want
to work flexitime (37% compared to 33%) or work a compressed working
week (37% compared to 28%). Only 8 per cent of male employees
currently work part time, a further one-fifth (19%) say they would
like to. So a flexible can-do attitude to working arrangements will
help companies attract and keep both men and women in their
workforce. "
Gianni Riatsch, General Manager of the London Hilton, said:
"The work life balance funding will allow us to develop more flexible
ways of working, help us to improve scheduling and enable everyone to
work smarter. It will also allow us to address issues such as staff
retention and ultimately to enhance job satisfaction. As the only
5-star hotel to have been awarded funding so far, we are keen to work
alongside the DFEE to promote this valuable resource to the hotel
industry."
And Peter Ellwood, Chairman of Employers for Work-Life Balance and Chief
Executive of Lloyds TSB added:
"We believe that putting work-life policies at the heart of our
corporate culture has allowed us to continue to achieve our business
goals at the same time as improving employee morale and staff
retention. There is a strong business case for implementing work-life
policies and we believe that many businesses will welcome the
opportunity to receive advice and information on flexible working
through the Work-Life Challenge Fund. "
Stephen Alambritis of the Federation of Small Business's also said:
"Small employers welcome the second tranche of the money for this
imaginative scheme and the increased funding will enable more small
employers to get on board. This will double the chance of successful
applications. The 19 projects bear testimony to the success of the
scheme so far."
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Bad publicity from large pay settlements won by the victims of work-related stress
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Professor of Organisational Psychology at the Manchester School of Management in the
book ` published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel
and Development (CIPD).
