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Are you finding your work life balance out of kilter?

Do you wonder if there is a way that you could achieve greater balance in your life? 

You might not have realised, but today is National Work Life Balance Day in Ireland, and in celebration and recognition, I have recorded a special edition podcast on the subject of Work Life Balance.

Work life balance seems to be the theme of the moment with many people searching for greater balance in their life. But is work life balance something that we truly can experience or is it something that is just not realistic in todays fast paced working environment?

In a recent report by the Equal Opportunities Commission in the UK, as reported by the Guardian, it was reported that in a poll of some 2000 people, 82& of respondents commented that it was difficult for parents to balance work and home life.

What more disturbing was the fact that more than 70% of the respondents believed that the situation would be worse rather than better in 10 years time.

Make sure you have a pen and paper ready to take notes as colleague Ann Greene and I discuss:

• what does work life balance really mean
• what is the business case for implementing work life balance policies and frameworks
• and practical steps you can take as a leader to address your own work life balance.

You can access the podcast here alongside links to 9 other great resources on the subject of work life balance

Today being the 1 March 2007, it is not only Work Life Balance Day in Ireland but is also the announcement of the Best Company to Work for in Ireland Award 2007. The people behind the Best Companies to Work for in Ireland Awards are the Great Place to Work Institute Ireland, in association with the Irish Independent.

Yesterday, Bob Lee, the CEO of the Great Place to Work Institute Ireland and the face of the Best Company to Work for in Ireland Awards was on the Tubridy Show on RTE and the majority of the conversation was about work life balance. The issue of work life balance is one that comes up in many daily conversations and in the media very regualrly.

You might well have taken from the interview that the guests and also the listeners who were texting in messages have one measure of what makes a Best Company to Work for in Ireland …

… that you must be a company who respect and enable your employees to enjoy work life balance.

The Best Company to Work for in Ireland Awards are a terrific way of recognising the work that many Irish companies put into creating a strong employer brand and building their reputation as an employer of choice.

But as it was reflected in the Tubridy Show, the companies showcased in the Best Company to Work for in Ireland Awards may not be a true reflection on the workplace in Ireland in 2007 as you have to have more than 250 employees to enter the awards. 

As one of the guests on the Tubridy show commented, some 98% of companies in Ireland and SME’s and around 90% of SME’s have less than 10 people.

The overall winner of the Best Company to Work for in Ireland 2007 was Airtricity, the international renewable energy provider.

Interestingly a special award was made to Premier Group, the recruitment agency in the category Respect – the reason for the award? Their work in the area of work life balance.

As reported on the Best Company to Work for in Ireland website, the HR officer of Premier Group, Helen Gallagher said:

“… we really want to ensure that people enjoy coming to work, and because people spend so much time here, we want them to feel that it’s a nice, homely environment.”

Premier Group provides everyone with breakfast, including cereal, bread, tea and coffee, and each office has a fully fitted kitchen and breakout areas, where staff can watch TV.

Helen Gallagher goes on to comment:

“With service, we would pay for childcare, holiday vouchers, gift vouchers or gym membership. In some of our offices we have free membership to gyms because we’re trying to promote a healthy lifestyle.”

The employees and managers of Premier Group must be thrilled with that award, but not all companies can afford the overheads of providing benefits of childcare support, holiday vouchers and gym membership in the need to competitive.

Interestingly, in our podcast on work life balance, neither Ann or I referred to any of the employee benefits that were the reasons that Premier Group were recognised in the Best Company to Work for in Ireland Award.

Instead we give practical advise on the business case for work life balance policies, actionable strategies you can implement today as an employer and tips to achieve greater work life balance as a business leader.

Work life balance strategies make good business sense in terms of attracting and retaining great people and building your employer brand as an employer of choice.

And what is more, as we show through the podcast on work life balance, you do not have to invest in expensive employee benefits. Becoming a company that respects the work life balance of your employees does not therefore have to be a financial burden and is accessible as a goal for even the smallest of companies.

It will however ensure that you stand out from the crowd and assist you in building a strong employer brand.

Side note: I can not help wondering who did the design of the Best Company to Work for in Ireland website. It looks rather whimsical to me and not at all representative of what I know the environment to be of most of the companies who enter the Best Company to work for in Ireland awards.

In fact it does not represent what I know of the workplace in Ireland in 2007.

I wonder who the people are in the hot air baloon? Perhaps they are the winners of the Best Company to Work for in Ireland awards off searching for greater work life balance! What do you think?