Work-life balance boosts the bottom line

Citation

(2001), "Work-life balance boosts the bottom line", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 33 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2001.03733cab.009

Work-life balance boosts the bottom line

Work-life balance boosts the bottom line

Keywords: Quality of working life, Family life, Flexible working

Flexible working and job sharing have traditionally been a no-go area for the UK's senior managers. However, research released at the British Psychological Society's Annual Conference earlier this year shows that senior managers who are choosing when and how they work perform significantly better than their nine-to-five colleagues.

The study into flexible workers amongst senior managers reveals that job sharing and flexible working arrangements, such as flexi-time, reduced hours working and working at home, can significantly improve performance. According to the findings, the managers of both job sharers and individual flexible workers rate these workers as providing a higher level of output than traditional full-time employees:

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  70 per cent of the sample were perceived to be outperforming their full-time colleagues, and their own previous full-time status in terms of output;

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  60 per cent ranked very good/excellent at problem solving and analysis;

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  60 per cent ranked very good/excellent at resilience in the face of setbacks; and

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  flexible workers also scored higher on resilience, leadership and commitment.

The study was commissioned by flexible work company, The Resource Connection, and The Industrial Society and was carried out in conjunction with assessment and development specialists, SHL.

It assesses the characteristics of flexible workers and the attitudes of their managers to determine what makes flexible contracts work effectively; it also establishes the personality traits most suited to job shares, and the combination of factors that produce the most productive job-share partnerships.

The study's specific findings in relation to job share were equally revealing:

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  70 per cent of executives in job share were perceived to have 30 per cent increased output over one person doing the same job; and

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  job sharers scored high on problem solving, teamwork and flexibility.

Carol Savage, Managing Director, The Resource Connection, comments: "This is the first time that the efficacy of flexible work and its contribution to the bottom line have been proved through research, and that the specific characteristics that determine individual flexible workers versus job sharers can be identified. Moreover, we are able to help people determine the most suitable job-sharer partnership for them, as well as showing people what to look for when embarking on a job-sharer relationship. The Resource Connection will be using these findings to help both employers and employees implement effective flexible work opportunities".

Karen Janman, Head of Assessment, SHL UK, comments: "This research is especially exciting, as it provides invaluable insight to employers and employees alike about characteristics that best suit an individual to job share or more individual flexible working. This vital information can then be used to form the basis of the management, coaching and developmental process".

Dr John Knell, Deputy Director of Futures, The Industrial Society, says: "There have been two significant barriers to flexible working among senior managers. First, employers find it very hard to believe that flexible working amongst their senior executives can work. Second, senior managers often regard making such a request as 'career death'. This research knocks both these misconceptions on the head.

"To show that work-life balance and high performance can go hand in hand will be a significant contribution to the work-life debate, but the research also has significant implications for working in a globalised 24-hour society".

Further information from The Industrial Society, Robert Hyde House, 48 Bryanston Square, London W1H 2EA. Tel: 020 7429 2111; Fax: 020 7479 2222.