Minister for Labour Affairs Mr. Frank Fahey T.D., Launches Work/Life Balance Research Report

"Achieving work/life balance is a key challenge facing both employers and employees."

Minister for Labour Affairs Mr. Frank Fahey T.D., today launched a research report by the National Framework Committee on Work/Life Balance entitled "Off the Treadmill - Achieving Work/Life Balance."The report identifies the issues to be addressed in achieving a work/life balance and explodes the myth that it is simply a `women's' issue.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Fahey said, "I believe this research provides an excellent analysis of the current state of play on work/life balance in Ireland today and highlights a number of challenges facing us into the future."

Minister Fahey acknowledged the excellent work of Dr Eileen Drew, Trinity College, Dr Peter Humphreys, Institute of Public Administration and Ms Candy Murphy, Goodbody Economic Consultants in producing the report.

"It is a valuable piece of research into the availability and uptake of family friendly working arrangements in Irish organisations. It also examines current attitudes to work/life balance arrangements among employers, employees and work-colleagues and provides a useful insight into a number of the opportunities and challenges attaining work/life balance presents for the future," said Minister Fahey.

The research, which was commissioned by the National Framework Committee on Work/Life Balance - a committee comprising the social partners set up under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness - will assist the committee in continuing their work to support work/life balance at the level of the enterprise. Employer and employee representatives will consider the challenges identified in the research later this year at a seminar, which is being hosted by the National Framework Committee for Work/Life Balance Policies.

The Committee members also welcomed the publication of the research with Mr. David Begg, General Secretary, ICTU stating "This report, commissioned by the National Framework Committee for the Work/Life Balance Policies, provides a timely snapshot of the relatively low level of access that Irish workers have to crucial family friendly and work life balance working arrangements. All the evidence to date indicates that organisations with appropriate family friendly/work life balance policies and practices are more productive; workers who have more control over their working arrangements experience greater work satisfaction and report less stress.

This study again highlights that while women and men may have different priorities in the type of work life balance arrangement they prefer, workers of all ages, and in all sectors and locations, require methods to balance their work commitments with their lives outside the workplace."

Jackie Harrison, IBEC Director of Social Policy stated that "IBEC is pleased that the Framework Committee on Work/Life Balance commissioned this "Off the Treadmill" study as it fills an important gap which has existed to date in terms of the absence of baseline data. Work/life balance is an important business issue, which can contribute positively to bottom line results in terms of the reduction of casual sickness absence, improved productivity and increased diversity in the workplace. However, the research confirms that the success of these arrangements are dependent on the sharing of responsibilities between employees and employers with no one size fitting all."

Mr. Niall Crowley, Chief Executive Officer of the Equality Authority also welcomed the publication and said "The research highlights the levels of work/life balance arrangements available to Irish employees and the positive perceptions of employers who made these arrangements available. It is disappointing in uncovering the low take up of work/life balance working arrangements, the predominance of women taking up these arrangements and the long hours culture in many workplaces. Equality in the workplace requires work/life balance working arrangements not only to accommodate the participation of men and women with caring responsibilities but also to secure the participation of employees with disabilities, older workers and minority ethnic staff.

We need a new commitment to work life balance arrangements across all enterprises alongside a commitment to communicate the arrangements available to all employees, to build a workplace culture that is positive to diversity and to the arrangements necessary to accommodate this diversity and to ensure the arrangements are accessible to all including a more balanced take up by men and women."

ENDS/LA55.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The National Framework Committee for Work/Life Balance Policies was formerly known as the National Framework Committee for Family Friendly Policies and was established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. During the negotiations leading up to the ratification of Sustaining Progress, the Social Partners agreed to extend the tenure of the Committee along with changing its name.

The Committee comprises representatives from IBEC, ICTU, the Equality Authority, and an Inter-Departmental Group, which is chaired by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

"Off the Treadmill - Achieving Work/Life Balance" research project was commissioned by the National Framework Committee for Work/Life Balance Policies. The research brief was to: -

Gather information on the types of family friendly policies in organisations, the level of availability and uptake of family friendly working arrangements in Irish workplaces, attitudes to family friendly working arrangements among employers, employees and work colleagues, and to identify existing research available in this area.

ENDS.