EEO Trust Work and Life Awards: Tailored aid and fathers to the fore

By TRUDIE McNAUGHTON

Winning the EEO Trust Work and Life Awards keeps getting harder.

Not that it was a cinch six years ago, but the range and breadth of entries have improved and this year's crop was outstanding.

It really shows that workplaces are taking work-life balance seriously when their entries are truly individual, demonstrating that they have tailored initiatives to meet their needs.

Many of this year's winners described to the judges how they consulted workers on what was important to them, developed work-life initiatives organically and, if necessary, changed direction to ensure everyone in the workplace could take advantage of them.

It is critical that managers exemplify work-life balance, as recognised in our Walk the Talk Award, and respond to the needs of all workers with their varying work and home responsibilities.

Innovation was a strong feature of this year's awards, showing work-life balance really has come of age for many New Zealand enterprises.

With six entries in the innovation category - the previous high was two - workplaces are extending well beyond a standard menu of initiatives to develop individual programmes to meet their particular needs.

Auckland City won this category with its DVFree programme to provide support for employees who are experiencing domestic violence.

Other entries included a scheme to help staff move towards retirement, a company-wide fitness challenge and a health expo.

If anyone still has any doubt about the business benefits of encouraging work-life balance, this year's entries should allay it.

Entrants, which included non-profit organisations, private businesses, local authorities and Government departments, cite better performance and productivity, reduced staff turnover and sick leave and easier recruitment.

The voice of fathers came through strongly this year. Many entrants included testimonials from men explaining how the initiatives had helped them to be better fathers.

Flexibility in working hours and location was common, but access to a telephone or the ability to vary their shifts could be just as important for fathers.

The EEO Trust is further exploring this theme through our Fathers' Day project, to find out what dads really want. It includes an online survey and a toolkit for workplaces at www.eeotrust.org.nz.

As our entries show, many workplaces have very effective work-life policies but it's easy to assume that what will work for mothers will also work for fathers.

We want to find out what will work for fathers and their employers.

* Trudie McNaughton is EEO Trust executive director and EEO Trust Work and Life Awards judge.