Progress on Work-life Balance?

By European Industrial Relations Observatory on-line

Three years on from the launch of the UK government's 'work-life balance' campaign in March 2000, the topic has become widely researched and debated.

This feature reviews the latest developments, to assess what progress has been made in enabling employees to achieve a better balance between work and the rest of their lives.

At the end of its third year, the main focuses of the campaign are on three areas:

1.tackling the 'long-hours culture' ;

2.targeting sectors with acute work-life balance problems; and

3.providing support and guidance.

Work-life balance is also a significant area of activity for the unions. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) also now has a website dedicated to work-life balance issues, with a fortnightly newsletter. Among the TUC's objectives for 2003 is to 'raise the quality of working life and promote equality for all'. Although the TUC advocates strong legislation to underpin these policies, like the government, it has also promoted the benefits to employers of introducing work-life balance policies. According to the TUC's Jo Morris, 'a decent balance between home and work is key to delivering high quality services and recruiting and retaining satisfied staff. The TUC will continue to help unions working with government and employers find practical working time arrangements which suit employees as well as the service.' Individual unions such as Unison (public service workers) also have campaigns and resources to promote the issue.

Both the TUC and Unison stress that work-life balance is not just about mothers, but is about enabling all workers to fit work around 'caring and other interests', to accommodate which flexible work arrangements are advocated.