Achieving a work-life balance

South Australians now have a dedicated website to help them achieve work-life balance. SafeWork SA Executive Director Michele Patterson said that the new website would help employers to put work-life balance measures in place for the benefit of their business and employees.

“Flexibility in the workplace can assist employers to attract and retain skilled staff while enabling employees to manage their work and personal responsibilities,” said Patterson. “The potential benefits of work-life balance initiatives include increased worker loyalty and decreased absenteeism. These initiatives can also have a positive effect on client service and enhance overall business reputation.

“The new website provides ideas on how to achieve work-life balance. Employers will find information on how to draft and implement a flexible policy in the workplace, and how to analyse their workforce needs and facilitate discussions with their staff. The site consolidates information about work-life balance into a central point and in an easy-to-read format.”

Features of the site include:

• pages explaining the ‘What, Why and How?’ issues surrounding work-life balance
• ideas for achieving work-life balance
• a tool enabling businesses to analyse the flexibility of their workplace and how it might be improved
• access to legislation, publications and resources

The government has included a work-life balance target as part of South Australia’s Strategic Plan: Target 2.12: “To improve the quality of life of all South Australians through the maintenance of a healthy work-life balance.”

“The new site, created by SafeWork SA, will be a strong contributor towards achieving that target,” said Patterson. “This information can be found at www.safework.sa.gov.au/worklifebalance.”