Work-life balance and flexibility in New Zealand
Introduction: The National Work-Life Balance Surveys Of Employers And Employees
This report looks at how New Zealanders rate their work-life balance and the role that flexible work plays in this. It examines employers' and employees' attitudes towards flexible working practices, uptake of these practices and awareness of the recently introduced Employment Relations (Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendment Act 2007.
It contributes to the Work-Life Balance Programme set up by the Government in August 2003 to develop policies and practices aimed at promoting a better balance between paid work and life outside of work.
The outcome sought from the Work-Life Balance Programme was to ensure that New Zealanders have genuine choice about the way they work, enabling better balance between the time and energy they commit to paid work and to other life activities. The goals of the programme were that:
- people be enabled to participate more often, or more effectively, in activities that are important to them, and
- New Zealand organisations prioritise the work-life balance of their employees, leading to more productive, sustainable employment relationships and workplaces.
This report summarises the results of two surveys that were conducted in 2008 by Research New Zealand, one involving employers and the other employees. In recognition of the Employment Relations (Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendment Act 2007 coming into force on 1 July 2008, the surveys had a particular focus on identifying the availability and use of flexible working arrangements by New Zealand workers.
The survey results will contribute to an impact evaluation of the Work-Life Balance Programme and facilitate a future review of the Employment Relations (Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendment Act 2007.
The surveys follow up on related work-life balance benchmark surveys of employers and employees carried out in 2005/2006. Where possible, this report compares the results of the current research with the 2005 study. The differences between the 2005 and 2008 findings are indicative only, due to the surveys having a different focus (the earlier surveys focused primarily on workplace productivity issues rather than flexible working arrangements) as well as different response rates, questionnaire structures and survey lengths.