Ensuring a Life-Work Balance

2. Ensuring a Life-Work Balance UK National Work-Stress Network 6th Annual Conference November 19th 2005

3. Ensuring a Life-Work Balance • Work should be enjoyable, a positive experience and contribute to the overall well-being of all workers • Workers should not be damaged by their day to day experiences in the workplace • Working Time • Work-rate demands • Working conditions • Worker contribution to consultation on processes • Workers’ personal needs should be recognised • Employers need to ensure a balance between work demands and worker capabilities • OUTCOME? Goodwill and positive contributions Ian Draper

4. Ensuring a Life-Work Balance • Causes of Stress are wide and varied • Recognition by employers of their responsibilities and duty of care • Work pressures affect personal relationships - affect Work • External pressures have major influence on performance at work • Avoidance of the “leave your baggage at home” culture • Preserve the workforce rather than rejecting it • Fit the work to the worker not the worker to the work Ian Draper

5. Ensuring a Life-Work Balance • Creating an acceptable framework within which the worker and the workplace/business can benefit • Agreed Leave policies • Family Friendly policies • Acknowledgement of care responsibilities • Maternity & Paternity arrangements • Risk Assessments for maternity • Flexible approach to work rate and demands • Job-Sharing, Part-time working with no detrimental treatment • Flexible Working Directive • Flexi-time • Working from home? Ian Draper

6. Ensuring a Life-Work Balance • Flexible Working Directive • Allows for a formal application to change working arrangements for parental care • Employer obliged under statute to respond • Specific criteria for objections • Appeal process • Referral to Employment Tribunal with appropriate penalties Ian Draper

7. Ensuring a Life-Work Balance • Acceptable Rejection grounds • Burden of cost • Detrimental effects on meeting customer demand • Inability to reorganise work internally • Detrimental impact on quality and performance • Insufficient work proposed by applicant • Planned structural changes • Formal Appeal process • Right to Employment Tribunal for failure to comply with regulations Ian Draper

8. Ensuring a Life-Work Balance • Disability Discrimination Act and Sickness Absence • Recognition of condition • Duty of Care and “reasonable adjustments” • Temporary adjustments to contract enabling improvement in well-being • No barriers • Appropriate and supportive use of sickness procedures where possible Ian Draper

9. Ensuring a Life-Work Balance • Benefits to be gained from family friendly approaches • Better reputation as an employer with good Equality status and recognition • Happier workforce with less anxiety • Potential to reduce sickness absence • Improved productivity and shareholder benefits • Goodwill from the workforce Ian Draper

10. www.workstress.net

12. UK National Work-Stress Network Vision Statement • Caring Supportive Work Environment • Employer Recognition of ‘Duty of Care’ • Health-enhancing work(place/practices) • Work-Stress Policy in all workplaces • Well-being at work provision • Dignity in the workplace for ALL • Supportive Pro-active Occupational Health Ian Draper

13. UK National Work-Stress Network • Stress is endemic in much of UK Industry and especially Public Sector • Sickness Absence Costs • Mental ill-health • Workplace Bullying • Excessive hours/demands culture Ian Draper

14. UK National Work-Stress Network • Network & TU Action/Campaigning • Recognition and promotion of Safety Representative Rights and role • Effective Regulation and Enforcement • Employer corporate responsibility Ian Draper

15. UK National Work-Stress Network • Thanks to our Speakers • Thanks to you for attending • Thanks to our sponsors, both for today and for our activities • Thanks to the Steering Group for their support • Come and join us? • Sponsor us? • New Advice Booklet – draft version Ian Draper

16. www.workstress.net