What is National Work Life Week?

National Work Life Week is an annual campaign run by the Working Families charity to encourage discussion between employers and employees about wellbeing at work and work-life balance. Working Families are running free webinars to aid the discussions and provide guidance to employers, which can be accessed here. The National Work Life Week serves as a reminder to reflect on working practices and to ensure that all employees are able to enjoy a balanced life.

Flexible working

Working flexibly can include hybrid working, part-time working, job sharing, compressed hours or flexitime. Flexible working practices have become a key requirement for many of those in work and those applying for jobs. Working Families' research confirmed that 82% of UK parents would apply for a job that advertised flexible working options, compared to only 31% that would apply for a job that did not advertise flexible working.

Employees gain the legal right to make a flexible working request after 26 weeks of employment. However, the government has indicated that it is taking steps to give employees this right much sooner. Our insight here provides further information on the recent changes to flexible working. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, most employers have implemented flexible working policies which set out guidelines for employees on their employer's expectations for how they work, communicate and collaborate. 

It is worth mentioning that flexible working can sometimes blur the boundaries between work and home life, and it is important that employers and employees work together to find a way of working that suits both parties. 

Work-life balance

Work-life balance has been defined as "an employee being able to equally prioritise the demands of their career and having an enjoyable private life". Work-life balance is a variable concept as a healthy balance will look different for everyone, but it will mean that employees can feel fulfilled in both their professional and personal lives. Flexible working can act as a catalyst to improving individuals' work-life balance and can enable a worker to manage competing personal priorities, whatever they may look like.

Research indicates that long working hours do not lead to increased productivity. Instead, having a positive work-life balance increases individual performance, productivity and overall profits for organisations. Research also indicates that, when employees are subjected to excessive working hours, this can have a significant adverse impact on their health.

Employers who champion the importance of their employees maintaining a work-life balance are more likely to retain and attract the best talent and widen the diversity of their talent pool, which is again proven to increase the performance of teams.

Top tips for employers

Working Families has produced guidance for employers taking part in National Work Life Week. This includes the following tips:

• Lead from the front – if employees see their senior management taking part and encouraging others to participate in events and initiatives for National Work Life Week, then they will be more inclined to join the discussion.
• Get the conversation going – put flexible working and work-life balance at the top of the agenda during the National Work Life Week and invite employees to share their views on what works well for them.
• One size does not fit all – work-life balance looks different for everyone, so it is important to recognise that different flexible working practices will work for different people and to be open to discussing different working patterns and practices within the organisation.
• Support your managers – ensure that all line managers are adequately trained and prepared for flexible working requests and conversations with employees.
• Communication is key – this dedicated week is a great opportunity to spotlight your employment policies and benefits for staff and request input on what else is needed or would benefit employees.
• Shout about switching off – research suggests that productivity does not decrease when people finish on time, rather it often increases. Encourage members of senior management to support their teams to leave work on time and to inform their team when they stop working.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to our Employment team if you require any further information or guidance on flexible working practices or supporting your employees in achieving a positive work-life balance.