Work life balance: The fine line between motivation and time

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Work life balanceThe fine line between
motivation and time

• November 2008
• An Coppens

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An Coppens

• MBA in change management
• Diploma in life and business coaching
• Masters in neurological reprogramming hypnosis
• BA in International Marketing
• Change Management Consultant
• Arthur Andersen Business Consulting
• Xigma Management Consultants
• Project Manager Phillips Electronics
• Business Coach with B/Right Business coaching
  since 2001
• European Coaching Achievement Award 2006

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B/Right Business Coaching

• We work with executives, middle managers and
  business owners
• 1 to 1 coaching (face-to-face or by phone)
• Employee assistance scheme
• Workshops
• Group coaching
• Weekend or mid-week retreats

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Structure for workshop

• Why bother with work/life balance?
• Is work/life balance about time, motivation or
  even values?
• Definition
• What are you already doing?
• What else could you do?
• Best practice
• Business case

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Whats happening in the naughties (2000s)..?

• We spend more time at work than anywhere else
• We are questioning whether we live to work or
  work to live?
• Emerging trend of fun/work fusion or facilitation

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In this economy

• Less people doing same amount or more work
• Pressure to stay in the job higher
• Need to manage work/life balance increased
• Perception of work/life balance practices needs
  an overhaul

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The question is.?

• Can organisations do work/life balance?
• Or is work/life balance personal?

Lets check
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A definition

• Work life balance happens when an individual has
  enough income to cover living lifestyle
  expenses and has satisfactory time to engage in
  lifestyle pursuits, family, education and career.
• An Coppens 2007

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So what about motivation
So if work/life satisfaction is personal, then
are we all motivated similarly or could we be at
different stages in life?
Self-actualisation
Esteem
Is every employee interested in the same things?
Love
Safety
Physiological
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Discussion part 1

• Group discussion
• Have you got work/life balance strategies in your
  workplace?
• Come up with a full list for the group
• Designate spokes person and formulate your group
  answer
• 15 minutes for discussion

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Discussion part 2

• Group discussion
• Out of the list of strategies, which ones work,
  create the group top 3
• Why these 3?
• Designate spokes person and formulate your group
  answer
• 15 minutes for discussion

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Business benefits for work/life balance
strategies - Ireland

• ERB research findings
• Increase employee satisfaction (85 of Employers
  Surveyed)
• Attract and Retain staff (74)
• Increase Employee productivity (58)
• Improve the reputation of the organisation (56)
• Reduce labour turnover (56)
• Decrease absenteeism / sick leave (50)

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Business benefits UK findings

• Increased productivity
• The DTI study 2003 revealed that 49 of companies
  saw a positive increase in productivity.
• Improved recruitment and retention
• BT saved 3m in recruitment costs in the year to
  March 2003, since 98 of women returned after
  maternity leave.
• Lower rates of absenteeism
• The London Borough of Camden experienced a 2.5
  reduction in the cost of sickness absence in the
  first year it introduced a work-life balance
  strategy.

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Business benefits more UK findings

• Reduced overheads
• BT saved 52m in overheads in the year to March
  2003 by increasing its number of home workers
  this also means an annual saving of 10m in fuel
  costs.
• An improved customer experience
• A more motivated, satisfied and equitable
  workforce.
• The DTI found that over 94 of employers agreed
  that people work best when they can achieve a
  work-life balance.

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HR reasons for work/life balance initiatives

• Discuss in group and come up with your top 3
• Designate a spokes person
• 5 minutes

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Best practice in implementation

• Identify core business needs and build a case
• Tailor policies to suit operational and employee
  needs
• Develop a set of clear guidelines
• Communicate what you are doing and why
• Monitor and evaluate progress

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Building the business case

• Consider your core business needs
• Ensure buy in by demonstrating to colleagues
  and senior management how a strategy will benefit
  business and the workforce as a whole
• Calculate cost and time savings
• Consider the policies and practices you want to
  develop

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Building a case potential cost savings benefits

• Advertising and recruitment costs reduced
• Training costs reduced
• Costs saved by reduced sick leave
• Costs saved by reduced absenteeism
• Fewer sales lost during hand-over time owing to
  reduced staff turnover
• Less time spent interviewing
• Less time and money spent on inductions and
  supervision
• Office space savings

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Building a business case people benefits

• Gains in numbers of skilled applicants for jobs
• Increase in levels of employee commitment
• Flexibility across the workforce to suit customer
  requirements
• More innovative thinking among staff
• Enhanced employer brand

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Building business case Things to consider

• Policies and procedures already in place
• The impact on customers of new ways of working
• Whether your employees all need to start and
  finish at the same time
• The management time and training needed to
  co-ordinate a more flexible workforce
• Back-up arrangements when employees are on leave
• Planning and scheduling to cover busy periods
• Balancing business and personal needs

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Core elements of a work/life balance strategy

• Your work-life strategy should contain some of
  the following tried and tested components. Adopt
  the pattern and mix that best matches the make-up
  of your workforce.
• Flexible working patterns
• Personal Work/Life balance
• Leave options
• Carers allowances

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Flexible working patterns

• Flexitime variable start and finish times
• Compressed work week working full-time hours in
  4 days
• Part-time working working less than full-time
  contractual hours
• Job sharing where two people split one job
• Annualised hours allows flexible working
  patterns throughout the year
• Teleworking or home working working remotely or
  from home
• Term-time working working only during school
  terms

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Personal work-life balance

• Individual development plans and appraisals allow
  companies to review work-life balance on a
  regular basis, to plan ahead for busy periods and
  make adjustments before problems arise
• Individual development plans and regular
  appraisals
• Coaching or mentoring can be done by colleagues
  or by external providers
• An open door approach to problems common in
  SMEs establish good guidelines so that business
  and personal needs can be met

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What can individuals do?

• Examine your work/life satisfaction
• Find out where the problem is work or play? Is
  there a problem?
• Design a balance you would be happy with
• Prioritise
• Learn to say no
• Make choices according to your plan

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Special offer de-stress get-away

• 3-day midweek break to the Lake District
• Collected from Newcastle airport and full-board
  accommodation in Winder Hall Country House
• Small group minimum 8 maximum 12
• Group and 1 to 1 work around work/life balance
• Yoga walks, relaxed atmosphere
• Participants will come away with practical
  techniques that they can implement in their work
  place
• December 2008 January 2009

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Q A