Upload
arden-willis
View
81
Download
1
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Work / Life Balance. A Business Issue or another HR fad? City Forum 19 September 2002 Sue Young, Innova Partnership Limited. Outline of Session. Background Research and Summary of Findings to Date Projecting Ahead…where is WLB headed Introducing an organisational diagnostic framework - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
Work / Life Balance
A Business Issue or another HR fad?
City Forum
19 September 2002Sue Young, Innova Partnership Limited
Outline of Session
• Background • Research and Summary of Findings to Date• Projecting Ahead…where is WLB headed• Introducing an organisational diagnostic
framework• Discussion
Our Research Approach to Date
Research based approach:
• In depth interviews with sample of 20 companies - SMEs, large
corporations
• Professional organisations - IOD, CIPD, CBI, Industrial Society
• Government bodies and research groups - DfEE; IER; DTI;
Employers for Work/ life Balance; Work / Life Balance Research
Centre
Key Research Areas
• Drivers for attention to WLB
• What companies are doing
• Implementation issues
• Benefits and Gaps
BUSINESS NEEDSAND ISSUES
VALUES / SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
COMPLIANCE STAFF WELFARE
ORGANISATIONNEEDS DRIVE
REACTIVE /PROCEDEURAL
STRATEGIC/PROACTIVE
INDIVIDUAL NEEDSDRIVE
Drivers for Attention to Work / Life
Drivers: Compliance
1. Maternity provision and right to return
2. Paternity leave
3. Equal employment rights for part time workers
4. ‘Right to request’ part time working arrangements
5. EU Working Time Directive
Drivers: Welfare Issues
1. Increased number of women in workplace
2. Demand for increased flexibility in working
patterns
3. Demand for extended leave options.
4. Value to people of benefits other than financial
5. No ‘one size fits all’ solutions
Drivers: Business Issues
1. Competition to attract and retain staff
2. Need to improve return rates
3. Cost of recruitment
4. Shortage of skills / knowledge
5. Business pressures for productivity/flexibility
6. Technology
7. Globalisation - 24 hour working day
Drivers: Values / Social Responsibility
• Changing values of individuals
• Increasing pace and complexity - reliance on
greater self direction
• Desire / need to engage people more
• Employees as important stakeholders
BUSINESS NEED LED VALUES / SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY LED
COMPLIANCE LED STAFF WELFARE LED
ORGANISATIONNEEDS DRIVE
REACTIVE /PROCEDEURAL
STRATEGIC/PROACTIVE
INDIVIDUAL NEEDSDRIVE
Range of Measures on Work / Life
Measures Led by Compliance Needs
Driven by legal minimum requirements. Currently:• Maternity provision and right to return• Paternity leave• Equal employment rights for part time workers• ‘Right to request’ part time working arrangements• EU Working Time Directive
Looking ahead:• Further regulation / legislation
Measures Led by Welfare Needs
1. A range of flexible working measures - time / remote working
2. Extended leave options for maternity / paternity3. Extended work breaks - sabbaticals, study leave, career
breaks4. Flexible benefits packages - some tailoring for individual
needs5. Support for home-based working - technology, equipment6. Variety of staff welfare benefits - medical, counselling,
concierge services, gym7. Individual counselling available8. Information / support through intranet / other
communication channels9. Work / Life champion in HR department
Measures Led by Business Need
1. Education for managers
2. Flexible working arrangement linked to business need /
benefit
3. Work / Life measures linked clearly to business strategy
4. Performance measurement - Outputs rather than Inputs
5. Overt senior management support
6. Sharing / communicating ‘best practice’ cases
7. Greater emphasis on personal development as core to
developing skills / attributes needed in business
Measures Led by Values / Culture
1. Attention to Work / Life issues seen as integral to
creation of desired corporate culture
2. Support for career and personal development seen
as worthwhile objective in its own right
3. People encouraged to take part in corporate
/community initiatives as part of their personal
development
4. Developing an ‘Employer Brand’
Typical Benefits Companies Experience
• Improved staff return rates, retention and attraction of right skills
• Improved productivity and performance
• Improved morale and motivation
In addition:
• Improved services to customers
• More attention to assessment of performance / contribution
• Questioning of established work processes - more creativity
• Individuals prepared to put in more in return for flexibility
Issues in Making it Happen
• Organisational culture - habits of hierarchy, command and
control
• Work / life issues not yet seen as part of normal people
management practice
• Covers a wide range of issues - can easily ‘fall between the
cracks’
• Lack of integration with business needs / strategies
• Flexible and remote working requires attention to
performance measurement
• Different quality of dialogue needed between individual and
organisation
• Work / Life policies closely linked to business objectives• Support from top• Shared responsibility business / individual• Supportive of desire for flexibility if reasonable case is made• Involvement and ownership by line management• A package of HR policies that can be tailored• Focus on outputs, rather than inputs
Critical Success FactorsCritical Success Factors
Opportunities
• Greater linkage between business values / vision and strategies on work / life
• Individually tailored packages of remuneration and benefits
• More effective performance measurement will aid flexibility
• Culture change - move towards more involvement, empowerment, self direction
• Full integration of Work / Life measures
• People development
BUSINESS LED VALUES / SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY LED
COMPLIANCE LED STAFF WELFARE LED
ORGANISATIONNEEDS DRIVE
REACTIVE
STRATEGIC/PROACTIVE
INDIVIDUAL NEEDSDRIVE
Implementation Framework
Strategic Review
• Work / Life issue getting too big to be ad hoc
• A major policy area
• Covers a wide range of business / HR policy areas
• The need to benchmark
To enable a company to benchmark itself against range of measures that can be taken as part of a Work / Life Strategy
•HR policies and procedures•Links to Business Strategy•Role of Senior Management•Measures•Communication•Physical working environment•Development and training•Career management•Performance management
The Work / Life Scorecard