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6 September 2005 - Work Smarter - Change
Long Hours Culture
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Tomorrow, Wednesday 7 September 2005, will see the launch of a
practical guide to tackling Britain's long working hours culture.
Gerry Sutcliffe, Employment Minister, will address a meeting,
Chaired by Sarah Churchman of PWC, on the joint DTI, TUC and CBI report which
looked at improving long hours culture and how it could be managed for improved
business function and worker satisfaction.
The report, managed by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC),
conducted master class sessions in England and includes detailed case studies
from businesses such as the following:
- British Telecom.
- Land Rover.
- Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
- Accenture.
- Rolls-Royce.
- BNG Sellafield.
- Perkin Elmer.
- Exel.
Some of the changes already implemented by companies include the following:
- Part-time working.
- Flexitime.
- Job-sharing.
- Annualised hours.
Benefits of these changes include the following:
- Enhanced customer service.
- Retention of skilled staff.
- Improved morale.
- Less absenteeism.
- Improved worker satisfaction and productivity.
Gerry Sutcliffe commented:
"Changing working patterns can benefit everyone - employers, workers and
their families. The Government is firmly committed to giving people real
choice about their working hours to achieve greater work-life balance.
"While regulation has a part to play, creating a culture where we work smarter
rather than longer is key to improving worker satisfaction, as well as
improving competitiveness, productivity and retaining skilled workers."
Deputy Director-General of the CBI, John Cridland also commented:
"Maximising company performance by modernising working patterns is a key
issue for UK firms.
"This project demonstrates how involving employees in new patterns of work can
raise productivity, reduce absenteeism and give people a better work-life
balance.
"Both business performance and employee satisfaction are improved and these
are at the heart of any high-performance workplace."
Whilst Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary, said:
"Lots of organisations have shown that we can beat Britain's long hours
culture by working smarter. Unions do believe in proper regulation, but this
initiative shows that workplaces can do even better when managers and
employees work together."
The impact on health and safety within Britain's workplaces, if a more
flexible working hours approach is taken, would be of benefit in the following
areas:
- Reduction in accidents caused through fatigue.
- Enhanced performance, creating greater benefits to productivity.
- Stress levels reduced.
- Mental health illnesses lessened.
- Improved relationships at home.
If implemented and managed correctly, the working smarter culture can surely
play a major part in meeting Great Britain's Strategy for Workplace Health and
Safety to 2010 and Beyond.
Article by Alexandra Johnston
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