Conference discusses the work-life balance

Although the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, the Richmond Foundation, Sedqa and other organisations have together drawn up employee assistance programmes over the last year, there was still a long way to go before national coordination was achieved, Social Policy Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

Dr Gonzi was addressing the national conference, "Juggling Work-Life Commitments - Does it Make Business Sense?", organised by the Richmond Foundation and the Foundation for Human Resources Development at the Radisson SAS Baypoint Resort.

"Securing an adequate balance between work and social demands requires the collective efforts of employers, the government and civil society.

"I strongly believe that some employers still need to be convinced that this is in their interest," Dr Gonzi said.

If a business environment failed to respond to the individual's personal needs, the chances were that the person would eventually be forced to leave in search of something more suitable, Dr Gonzi continued.

The success of any business concern depended on its ability to secure the best and more productive human resources available, Dr Gonzi said.

Dr Gonzi said the government pledged its support to the effort.

The keynote address at yesterday's conference was delivered by Suzan Lewis, a professor of organisational and work-life psychology, who spoke about how employers and employees could collaborate to enhance gender equity and workplace effectiveness.

Among the necessary policies, Prof. Lewis listed arrangements such as flexitime, term-time working, job sharing, annualised hours, career breaks, compressed work weeks and teleworking.

But setting policies was not enough, she insisted. Moreover, these were often marginalised as "policies for mothers" and were not taken up by men, as they were considered to be career limiting.

Flexibility should be regarded as a business strategy rather than a favour, Prof. Lewis said.

Education Minister Louis Galea told the conference that socially responsible and effective corporate cultures valued the wellbeing of the work force and invested in it.

"Appreciating a worker's needs outside of work is a key employee motivating force," he said.

"A range of choices and measures need to be available for workers to create their own balance in their work and personal life," Dr Galea said, listing examples, including the possibility of working 40 hours in four working days, subsidies for further studies and wellness programmes.

Dr Galea said many in Malta still found it hard to understand why achieving work-life balance was important.

"It may take us time to achieve a change in attitudes and culture. Some may argue that with today's economic environment, the need to control costs is reason enough for not doing it.

"But work-life balance is a long-term commitment that includes a solid business strategy, while ensuring the presence of quality workers and teams that can help maximise results."