Chapter Two: Work-Life Balance Principles

The work-life balance principles that follow have been developed to reflect the needs of government agencies and their employees. Having an agreed set of principles serves to:

• establish a common framework within which individual agencies can develop their own work-life balance policies
• alert current and prospective employees to the reasonable expectations they can have of their workplace environment.

The principles have been structured around policy and implementation issues.

Policy principles

Work-life balance should:

• benefit both the individual and the organisation
  This acknowledges the intersection between work and life, and the requirement for the needs of both parties to be considered. There must be a 'value proposition' for the employer as well as a benefit for the employee
• be responsive to the needs of the organisation (nature of the business, operating hours, etc) and the demands of their service-users
  This acknowledges the need to factor in the purpose and demand of the business (the way it operates, hours of operation and client needs), when considering work-life balance initiatives
• be aligned with the vision and strategic direction of the organisation
  As with all other human resource-related issues, work-life balance needs to be 'in synch' with the strategic direction of the agency
• recognise that the needs of both the organisation and employees are not static, but change over time
  The needs of staff and the organisation should be reviewed regularly to reflect changes in staff circumstances, including age and lifestyle, and organisational circumstances, such as restructuring. Such recognition will ensure that work-life balance initiatives continue to be relevant and add value to both parties
• be broad, in order to cover a wide variety of situations and employee needs
  Work-life balance affects all members of society, not just those in traditional family units, and initiatives should be accessible to reflect a broader range of family and 'age and stage' circumstances
• be a joint responsibility between employees, their union and the organisation
  This acknowledges the importance of a partnership approach, where the union/s and employer, management and staff, can work together to achieve change and share in the benefits of work-life balance. Staff are responsible for advising managers of changes to their life circumstances that may impact on work, and both are responsible for developing solutions
• be available to all employees, or have it clearly stated where they are not (e.g. some jobs may not be able to be done part-time)
  There will be some environments where there will be limitations on the type of work-life initiatives available. These circumstances need to be clearly identified, but should not limit the potential for implementation in other parts of an organisation and for other creative solutions to be found
• be fair and equitable, recognising that different cultures, abilities/disabilities, religions, beliefs, whanau and family practices may mean different solutions for different people, and that 'one size does not fit all'
  Organisations should consider a variety of work-life initiatives to reflect the unique backgrounds and aspirations of staff from different cultures. This emphasises the need to involve representatives of all staff groups who will be affected
• be affordable for the organisation and realistically budgeted
  Initiatives need to be examined to ensure that the aims and objectives are feasible for the organisation and staff, and are within the budget parameters of the organisation
• value employees for their contribution to the organisation, regardless of their working pattern
  This signals the organisation's understanding that employees have personal as well as working lives and that the two intersect. Having flexible options available that both acknowledge and accommodate different/changing needs, while at the same time meeting organisational requirements, will encourage greater employee contribution and productivity, and overall commitment to the organisation.

Implementation principles

Work-life balance programmes should:

• be flexible, so that the provisions can be altered to meet the changing needs of employees and the organisation
  The needs of staff and the organisation should be regularly analysed to reflect changes in staff circumstances, such as age and life style, and organisational circumstances, such as restructuring. Such recognition will ensure that work-life balance initiatives remain relevant and add value to both parties
• highlight the need for management, unions and employees to work in partnership to identify issues and discuss relevant and workable solutions
  As work-life balance benefits employees and employers, and can result in changes to working patterns, it is important that all parties, including unions, participate actively in this process. To be effective, work-life programmes need to be developed through an inclusive process
• be widely communicated, so that employees are aware of what is available
  The greater the range of options known to be available, the greater the benefits to staff and the organisation
• be easily accessible, i.e. employees know what is available and feel they can use the provisions without being penalised
  Having the work-life initiatives posted in a form accessible to everybody will increase transparency and assist all parties in discussions about options and solutions that will best fit staff and organisations. The organisational culture should encourage and not penalise people who seek work-life balance solutions, while respecting those who work standard hours, or long hours by personal choice
• be integrated with human resource and people management policies and practice
  Work-life balance contributes to the achievement of inclusive and responsive organisational cultures and provides access to equal employment opportunities within the working environment. It is therefore an important feature of human resource policies and practices. All personnel with people management responsibilities should be aware of work-life balance policies and guidelines. Other HR policies and practices should complement work-life balance and not work against it
• be carefully planned, agreed and practical, so that the programmes can work
  Well-planned, agreed and practical work-life programmes will contribute positively to the overall wellbeing and security of employment for all staff. To achieve this, management buy-in should be obtained, and both staff and union/s involved
• allow for tailoring to meet individual employee needs where possible
  The programme needs to be flexible, as the same size does not fit all. Tailoring to meet an individual need, where appropriate, will contribute to maximising staff participation
• include a monitoring and evaluation mechanism, to investigate if they are succeeding in their aims and are being applied consistently
  The evaluation should be done in consultation with managers and staff, and should include a review of whether the organisation's needs have evolved or the original value proposition is different.

Chapter Five offers practical steps for implementing these principles. It does not prescribe solutions, but encourages organisations to find those best suited to their circumstances. However, there are a number of well established strategies that might be considered. Section One of the Supplement²⁴ sets out some of these, under the following five broad categories:

• flexible working arrangements (the organising of work hours)
• leave (time out of the workplace)
• child and elder care (assistance with family needs)
• health and wellness initiatives (preventing and managing the stress from work and life)
• work-life balance culture/environment (the organising of work and management style).

Case studies of successful initiatives by government agencies are supplied in Chapter Six.|
For other case studies, go to:

• http://www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk/business/problem_solver.htm

²⁴ See Supplement, Section One.