First winners of family friendly employer of year award

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Happy Computers and Telford and Wrekin Borough Council have triumphed in the first family friendly employer of the year award.

The award, sponsored by the charities Working Families and NSPCC, is designed to recognise employers who can demonstrate commitment to their employees who are the working parents of older children.

London computer training company Happy Computers prides itself on never having turned down a flexible working request. One employee has all school holidays off, another -- a father -- works a seven-day fortnight so he can share childcare with his wife. Even the managing director works a compressed hours four-day week. To find out more visit www.workingfamilies.org.uk
At the Borough of Telford & Wrekin the workforce has become mainly part-time since flexible working was introduced. This has led to increased service provision and 3% staff turnover, as well as increased flexibility for carers and parents alike. The borough provides information to staff on childcare and schools, holiday clubs for older children and prides itself on its supportive culture for carers. Breakfast meetings are banned. To find out more visit www.workingfamilies.org.uk

Want to know more?

The Working Families Employer of the Year Awards are designed to reward innovation and creative thinking in work-life balance. "The idea is to challenge current expectations and encourage pioneering approaches to improving working lives and building business success."

Working Families is a campaigning charity which helps children, working parents and carers and their employers benefit from a better balance between home and work. To find out more visit www.workingfamilies.org.uk

The NSPCC has published two useful PDF reports on its web site at
www.nspcc.org.uk/inform/FamilyFriendlyEmployment/Home.asp

Finding the Balance: Young people's views on parental employment
Finding the balance has been published to coincide with the first Family Friendly Award. "With the Award and this publication we wish to reframe the debate about work-life balance. The NSPCC would like work-life balance policies to be child-friendly as well as family-friendly," says the NSPCC.

There are three parts to this publication:

why the debate needs to change
the family friendly award
why work-life balance is an issue.

Getting it Right: Improving work-life balance in your business
This practical guide shows how 11 different businesses have successfully introduced flexible employment patterns.

Posted 5 January 2004