Forklift News - The key to retaining staff

New research shows that work-life balance is the key factor in attracting and retaining staff and is even more important than salary.

According to Converge International CEO Dr Lindsay McMillan, Australians have the dubious honour of working the longest hours of any OECD country, with 20-25% working more than 50 hours each week. Yet research shows that 47% of workers rate work-life balance as very important and another 32% see it as important.

An imbalance between work and life can result in declining quality of life, loss of community, erosion of relationships and resentment.

"If workplaces are to avoid harvesting this kind of negative atmosphere, then they really need to take serious consideration of these trends and begin concerning themselves with negotiating and transforming the current pattern of ‘work-life collision’ into one of ‘work-life balance’," says McMillan.

The Converge International research has highlighted four key mechanisms for incorporating flexibility into an organisation:
• Hours - flexible working hours can include part-time, job sharing, flexible start/finish times or compressed work weeks.
• Leave - everyone receives annual leave, but more creative options include study leave, bereavement leave, parental leave, unpaid leave and holiday purchase.
• Location - flexible options include working from home or giving an employee the opportunity to transfer to a different work location.
• Carer Assistance - at some stage in their life, almost everyone will need to assume a carer’s role.

It’s not enough to just spend the time and effort required to research an appropriate work-life balance strategy, there needs to be a cultural shift within the organisation. Many workplaces fear such practices interrupt the day-to-day running of a business and that employees who take advantage of work-life balance strategies are lacking in commitment.

For this reason, senior leaders in a business need to lead by example and champion the cause. This shows all employees that they can switch over to work-life balance initiatives without risking their career progression.

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