Work-life measures improve employment outcomes

The EEO Trust’s latest survey of employer support for work-life balance has demonstrated the value of supporting employees at work and outside work.

The survey respondents said they invest in work-life measures because they are good for business – improving recruitment, retention and engagement.

Those respondents with a work-life policy or strategy had lower staff turnover, and those providing extra paid parental leave reported higher rates of return from parental leave. In addition, the respondents that actively supported health and wellness lost less time to injury.

The EEO Trust Work-Life Survey was completed by 234 members of the EEO Employers Group – employers with an expressed commitment to EEO and diversity. For a comparison with other New Zealand employers, the survey drew on the findings of a recent, much larger survey carried out by the Department of Labour.

Both surveys showed a strong climate of support for flexible working. A total of 80% of EEO Trust respondents and 68% of Department of Labour respondents reported support for flexibility in their workplaces.

In line with their commitment to EEO and diversity, EEO Trust members were more likely than the more widely sourced Department of Labour respondents to already have flexible working or be in the process of introducing procedures related to flexible working. The most common provisions were flexible hours, flexible start and finish times and breaks, and occasionally being able to work from home.

Respondents to the EEO Trust survey reported that the main types of new work-life initiatives they had introduced in the past two years were flexible working options, especially remote working; health and wellness initiatives; various types of leave, and family-oriented provisions.

Respondents reported a very high level of senior management commitment to work-life initiatives, with more than 90% reporting that senior managers demonstrated their commitment in some way. However, levels of training on work-life issues for managers had decreased since the EEO Trust’s 2006 survey and the proportion of organisations holding managers accountable for work-life outcomes was unchanged.

The majority (84%) of organisations participating in the EEO Trust survey said their work-life practices were effective, with a quarter of these rating them as “very effective”. They used a range of tools to measure their success, from surveys and HR statistics to informal chats, performance reviews and exit interviews.

The main emerging work-life issue identified by EEO Trust members was the ageing workforce and related issues such as caring for elderly dependants, retaining skills and institutional knowledge, finding creative solutions and individual plans for retirement transitions, inter-generational differences, and the differing needs and expectations of the younger generation. Other key issues are flexibility, cultural diversity and working from home.

Download the survey report