Work-Life Balance – A key Issue for your Team
The National Framework Committee for Work Life Balance will hold its second regional seminar today (Friday 10th December 2004) in Galway. Key business leaders and employee representatives from Connaught will come together in the Corrib Great Southern Hotel, Galway to hear from Michael Lyster, broadcaster and TV presenter, on his own experience of work life balance and the benefits of getting that balance right. Delegates will also hear from two companies based locally who outlined the work life balance arrangements they have in place from both the employer and employee perspectives.
The seminar is targeted at employers and employee representatives to raise awareness of the importance of work life balance policies at the level of the enterprise. Delegates at the seminar also will also hear from local senior IBEC, ICTU and Equality Authority representatives.
John Brennan, IBEC Western Regional Director said at the seminar that, “Work-Life Balance is a serious business issue. Organisations are becoming increasingly conscious of the important role that work life balance policies play in attracting and retaining high calibre staff. In the competitive marketplace of today, organisations need a highly motivated, productive and flexible workforce and work-life balance provides a means for achieving this”.
Niall Crowley, CEO of the Equality Authority stated that the "Irish workplace is increasingly diverse. There are more people with disabilities, carers, older people and ethnic minority people in the workplace. There are many more families where both parents are working. This diversity demands a flexibility in how work is organised. It requires the implementation of effective work life balance working arrangements. Work life balance will ensure the recruitment, retention and productivity of this diversity of employees. It will ensure that workplace diversity is accompanied by workplace equality as employees are enabled to participate fully and progress their careers. This is good for business, for society and for those who currently experience inequality and exclusion".
Also attending the seminar is Barbara Keogh, the Programme Manager on Equality and Policy with ICTU who said that “Congress believes that Work Life Balance is about supporting workers so that they have a real choice in achieving a satisfactory balance between work and other areas of life. Congress recognises that Work Life Balance is a key element of how workers measure their quality of life; and work life balance is an essential component of achieving this balance. Work life balance can provide more choices for all workers to organise their working lives to take account of other priorities in their lives, particularly caring responsibilities and on going learning”.
For further information please contact:
Mary Dooley - Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment - 087/7838963 or email mary_dooley@entemp.ie
Note for Editors
Background on the Committee
The National Framework Committee for Work/Life Balance Policies, formerly known as the National Framework Committee for Family Friendly Policies was established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness and continued under Sustaining Progress on the recommendation of the Social Partners.
The Committee comprises representatives from IBEC, ICTU, the Equality Authority, a number of Government Departments including the Departments of the Taoiseach, Finance, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Social Welfare and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and is chaired by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Under Sustaining Progress, a specific budget was agreed to support the activities of the Committee. The allocation for 2004 is ¤259,000 and is provided for through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Vote.
Role of the Committee
The Committee, under Sustaining Progress, is charged with supporting and facilitating the development of family friendly policies at the level of the enterprise through the development of a package of practical measures that can be applied. One of the tasks of the Committee is to examine how best to improve access to family friendly working arrangements in order to realise the potential benefits that these arrangements would offer from both an equality and competitiveness perspective.
The National Framework Committee has undertaken a range of activities to date: -
- Family Friendly Workplace Day or Work Life Balance Day, as it is now known, has been an annual event since 2001.
- Direct financial assistance has been given to individual organisations to assist these organisations in implementing or enhancing work/life balance working arrangements.
- In conjunction with this, the Committee also provided assistance to organisations, through the establishment of a panel of consultants, which were put in place to provide assistance to employers in implementing new working arrangements or developing existing work/life balance working arrangements.
- An interactive website has been set up on behalf of the Committee by the Equality Authority.
- Both ICTU and IBEC have developed resources to assist their members in furthering work/life balance at the level of the enterprise.
- Other information dissemination and exchange activities have been undertaken, including the hosting of seminars at national and regional level, the publication of newsletters, leaflets etc.
- A number of very useful pilot projects and research projects including “Off the Treadmill – Achieving Work Life Balance” have been commissioned by the Committee or undertaken on behalf of the Committee.
ENDS
Last modified: 10/12/2004
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