What is work-life balance?

Work-life balance is about adjusting working patterns. Regardless of age, race or gender, everyone can find a rhythm to help them combine work with their other responsibilities or aspirations.

Increasingly, employers are developing a wide range of work-life balance options, covering flexible working arrangements and flexible benefit packages. Here are just a few:

• flexi-time
  
• staggered hours
  
• time off in lieu
  
• compressed working hours
  
• shift swapping
  
• self-rostering
  
• annualised hours
  
• job-sharing
  
• term-time working
  
• working from home
  
• tele-working
  
• breaks from work
  
• flexible and cafeteria benefits

Case study

Sainsbury's offers their retail non-management employees a range of contracts. This helps families balance their working hours with childcare, and helps students balance their working hours with exams and study periods. It even allows them to work in one store in term-time and another in the holidays.

Compass, the food service and hospitality company, has flexible working practices. Field working, extended leave and job-sharing are among its work-life balance policies.

Research