Nearly 100
private, public and voluntary sector employers are to benefit from the DTI’s
£10.5 million Challenge Fund to promote work-life balance policies.
The
fund provides free consultancy support for employers who want to develop and implement
good policies and working practises for their workforce.
Lesley
Anne Freeman, HR director for Leicestershire Constabulary, one of the 93
organisations to benefit from the fund, said the award would help the force
challenge work patterns and culture while maintaining its operational
efficiency.
She
commented, “The constabulary will be employing consultancy support to
supplement work being undertaken by its internal personnel and management team
to explore practical ways in which it can improve recruitment and retention and
develop employment initiatives which optimise work-life opportunities for all
of its employees both police officers and support staff.”
Other
winners include Watford FC, Easyjet, English Nature, Capital Software Limited and Darlington Crystal Limited.
Employment
relations minister Alan Johnson, announcing the winners, said, “More
organisations are realising that offering employees a better work-life balance
is the way forward for the workplace.
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“Workers
have a better quality of life and are able to cope with the demands of work
with family commitments or other pursuits, while employers benefit from a more
committed workforce, who are more productive and are more likely to stay with
them for longer.”
By
Ben Willmott
