See you tomorrow, I’m off to play golf (Working Mothers in General)

Member Name: merv

Product:	Working Mothers in General
Date:	07/03/03 (300 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A balanced life style, Motivates staff, Increases productivity

Disadvantages: None

Firstly let me confess - I’m a working father, but I think working mothers may find this interesting. I’m actually getting excited about work. My employers have decided to embrace ‘Work Life Balance’. Gone are the days when you started work at 9.00 am, finished at 5.30 pm, had an hour off for lunch and asked permission to take your jacket off, companies and organizations have finally woken up to the fact that to get the best out of your workforce you have to be flexible.

They’re doing it because stress levels in the western world are on an ever upward trend and people are working longer hours than ever. There is an increasing proportion of families with both partners out at work and a growing number of single parents who want to work yet have to work all hours to make ends meet.

Since the seventies, people have been waiting for the ‘age of leisure’, where computers do all the work, allowing the workers to live leisurely, rewarding and balanced lives. It hasn’t quite worked out that way and instead, those of us lucky enough to have jobs are in the main working harder and longer, whilst many people who want to work are excluded because of family and parental commitments and a lack of flexibility in the workplace.

Employers are beginning to realise that it doesn’t have to be like that and that organizing our working lives better can benefit both the employer and the employee. Employees can reduce stress, and become more productive and motivated, and happier, as they achieve a better work-life balance. Companies can increase staff morale, recruit and retain staff more easily and at the same time introduce more efficient and effective practices. Socially excluded members of society who of necessity have to prioritise home life (e.g. because of caring responsibilities) may gain access to employment opportunities with companies, who are prepared to offer a better work life balance. <
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The main changes in working practices being considered by my own employers include:

Flexible Hours

I have been working flexi time for about ten years now and I have really appreciated it. The only problem being restrictions on start and finish times and core hours. They are now piloting a scheme where, providing there is cover to deal with clients and customers, the core our hours are being eliminated and the start and finish times significantly extended.
Arrangements for flexible hours working can be of particular benefits for parents with younger children, who need taking to/from school, or people with other caring requirements. Simply not having to be at the office at 9.00am in the morning can relieve much of the stress of domestic management and travelling outside of rush hour can reduce stress considerably.

At present I can take up to a day’s flexi leave a month, which in the summer I tend to use for playing golf or going off for the day with my wife. I am also a governor at a couple of schools so the time comes in handy for meetings and visits. My employer is going to extend this to two days a month which means that providing I put in the hours I can have an additional twelve days a year off – I can already envisage my golf handicap tumbling (I wish!).

Working from home

I work in the financial sector of a large public authority, in a relatively small office, crammed full of people. Much of my work revolves around writing reports and analyzing accounts, which is difficult at the best of times. Even more difficult when you’re surrounded by another 17 people answering telephones and the like. My employer has decided to invest in laptops and allow us to work from home when appropriate – I have visions of sitting in the bar of my local pub and e-mailing my reports into work in between pints! Seriously though, working from home has many advantages for people with either children or dom
estic responsibilities. In the majority of instances, this is not full-time, but appropriate tasks can be undertaken from home, usually with productivity benefits.

Other schemes which are either being considered by my employer or are actually in operation are:

Home-Based Working

I received a couple of phone calls last week offering me cheap holidays, both were from India where an increasing number of call centers for UK companies seem to be based. There is a need to retain jobs here in the UK and Home based working may provide one answer. Combined with appropriate communication technology and time-based flexibility it can ensure that an employee is always equipped to get on with some work and can significantly reduce a company’s costs.

It is very difficult to work effectively and care for children at the same time, though many people do, but home based working from can make the organisation and management of childcare much easier and less stressful. It also enables contact with children at crucial times of their day, rather than dashing out of the house as they do, and not being there when they return. A worker free of parental guilt, no matter how unwarranted, may be a happier and more motivated worker.

Parental Leave

Brought to the fore by Leo, Cherie and Tony, and now enshrined in legislation, parental leave can be advantageous at times other than the birth of a new baby. For a family, paternal leave can be important less for the new born child than for the care of older siblings. Parental leave by its nature is intended to cope with times of particular stress or change in the family.

Part Time Working

For many people, there are times when working full time causes excessive conflict with other life commitments. Part-time work is particularly beneficial for people with substantial caring commitments, or who are returning to work after looking after young children.

Job Sharing


Job sharing is a particular type of collective part-time arrangement, where an individual can be assured that the job is being carried out properly by someone else when they are not working. Organisations are looking to part-time work and job sharing as a means of retaining skilled staff whose skills might otherwise be lost.

Of course Work Life balance is a two way thing and not just about people with families. My employers aren’t just doing it to turn Merv’s job into one long holiday; they want some payback. They have to have arrangements in place to ensure the continuity of work, adequate monitoring and supervision, good communications with staff operating flexibly , equitable arrangements for all staff (i.e. not implementing flexible arrangements only for those with families) and the protection of existing rights and benefits.

In return the employers will expect to see a more balanced, motivated and appreciative staff, and significant business benefits which must result in a more efficient and productive organization.

Suddenly, for me, there is another option to the national lottery and early retirement!

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