WORK-LIFE BALANCE
First organisations receive IiP recognition for work-life balance
Investors in People, the workforce development experts, has announced the first two organisations recognised with its Work-life Balance Model, designed to help employers establish a better approach to flexible working. The successful organisations are Listawood, a manufacturer in Norfolk, and ENCAMS, a national environmental charity.
The Work-life Balance Model aims to offers organisations concerned with creating the right work-life balance a flexible framework, whether they are grappling with the new government requirements, evaluating existing policies or simply trying to put more flexible plans in place.
"A way of incentivising staff"
For charity ENCAMS, which runs the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign and Blue Flag Awards for clean beaches, embracing "work-life balance" has proved to be a way of incentivising staff without impacting on a limited budget.
Alan Woods, chief executive at ENCAMS, said: "As a charity, we needed to find alternatives to the financial rewards offered in many other organisations -- offering flexible working patterns proved to be the answer. Our ensuing success with the model and our reputation for offering a better work-life balance has put us in a position to attract the highest-quality employees and retain them."
"Evaluating long-standing initiatives"
Listawood's managing director, Arthur Allen, sees the model as a way of evaluating long-standing work-life balance initiatives: "Flexible working had always been a priority for Listawood. We started the business when we had a family ourselves and were well aware of the importance of balancing our personal and professional lives -- for the good of the business and our family. The challenge was to continue our policies as the staff count grew. We used the model to assess existing initiatives and identify areas for improvement."
Want to know more?
The IiP's Work-life Balance Model aims to help employers establish an approach to work-life balance for all employees, regardless of their personal circumstances. It serves as a framework for organisations tackling the subject and as a benchmark for those with flexible working procedures already in place.
Organisations keen to find out how their current work-life balance practices measure up can visit www.investorsinpeople.co.uk. Detailed case studies on the web site show how the model has already helped businesses and provide insight into how the model can be applied. Alternatively call Investors in People UK on tel: 020 7467 1900.
The Investors in People standard was developed in 1990 in collaboration with the UK's leading businesses both large and small. It provides a framework for improving business performance and competitiveness, through good practice in human resource development. To find out more visit www.iipuk.co.uk
Posted 8 September 2003