THE WORK LIFE BALANCE IN THE NHS

Does the Work Life Balance really exist in the NHS?

''Does the Work Life Balance really exist in the NHS''?

Introduction

It is true that the work Life Balance really exist in the NHS. Work-life balance is the general term used to describe organizational initiatives aimed at enhancing employee experience of work and non- work domains. Cascio (2000: 166) defines work-life balance programs as “any employer sponsored benefits or working conditions that help employees balance work and non- work demands”. Work-life balance arrangements and practices refer to initiatives voluntarily introduced by firms which facilitate the reconciliation of employees' work and personal lives. (Bloom & Van Reenen, 2006, 65-77)

Background

Such initiatives include: temporal arrangements that allow employees to reduce the number of hours they work (e.g. job sharing where two employees share one job, part-time working where an employee works less than a full-time equivalent); flexible working arrangements such as flexi-time where employees choose a start and finish time which matches their personal needs but work certain core hours,, tele-working/home-working/e-working where employees have locational flexibility in completing their work; work-life balance supports such as employee counselling, employee assistance programs, time management training, stress management training; and childcare facilities on-site or financial support for childcare off-site (e.g. through subsidised childcare). Essentially, work-life balance initiatives are offered by organizations to assist staff manages the demands of work and personal life

Although many of the work-life balance issues are the same across the public services the options open to you beyond those found in law may vary according to what type of job you do.

For example if you work in the NHS you may be more familiar with the term Improving Working Lives, and as a Local Government employee your branch should have received a copy of the National Joint Council advice (the NJC is the national negotiating body for local government that brings together the Employers Organisation to represent employers and the main local government trade unions). In addition UNISON has a number of bargaining guides on specific aspects of work-life balance, and other campaigns that target issues like low pay, or term-time working that also affects people's work-life balance. (Bloom & Van Reenen, 2006, 65-77)

Literature review

Work-life balance is a factor which has the potential to affect important workplace issues such as employee turnover, stress, job satisfaction, and productivity. The implications of sometimes conflicting work and personal life responsibilities for people management and work structures are wide ranging (Bloom & Van Reenen, 2006, 65-77). Argue that the current highly competitive labour market, where the attraction and retention of highly valued employees is difficult, calls for greater awareness of employee work-life balance concerns. As a result, many organizations are exploring how they can help employees achieve more balance by offering a range of family or work-life balance policies and programs.

To-date, much of the research in the work-life balance arena has investigated individual level work-life balance factors such as employee demands for flexible working practices Bond & Wise, 2003, 346 employee ...