The
Government is investing almost £5m in work-life balance as part of its
Challenge Fund initiative.
The
additional funding will help 233 companies introduce more flexible working
practices and brings the total investment to £11.3m in three years.
In
this round of funding 91 private, 109 pubic and 33 voluntary organisations will
receive a share of a £4.8m pool that provides work-life balance consultancy and
support.
Employment
relations minister Alan Johnson said that more flexible arrangements for staff
could often improve business performance.
"This
year saw record entry levels for the Challenge Fund and this latest round has
enabled us to double the number of companies that will benefit. The fund is now
helping companies of all sizes and sectors across the country," he said.
The
fund promotes innovative working practices and money is allocated to firms that
can demonstrate a commitment to work-life balance, a number of measurable
outcomes of any project and how they will benefit.
Successful
companies must also be prepared to share any results achieved as a consequence
of the funding to provide best practice guidance for employers not selected for
the project.
