Work Life Balance

Work Life Balance initiatives can assist employers and employees to be productive and healthy in their work and community lives. They give employees greater flexibility in how they work and offer employers the competitive business edge in attracting and retaining employees.

The range of Work Life Balance initiatives available can be grouped into 4 main areas:

• leave provisions (such as parental and family leave);
• flexible hours provisions (including job sharing, flexible start and finish times);
• supportive structures and programmes (such as child care provision or assistance); and
• social policy initiatives.

In today's labour market, flexible work arrangements are needed by all workers at different times in their lives to allow for: young people to study and work; parents to have time with children; everyone to maintain their health and be active in the community and for the older worker approaching retirement to have the opportunity to stay in the workforce on reduced hours.

Employers and the South Australian Government are working together to make work accessible, to all those who want to work. Employers are looking at how work is organised while the Government is looking at programmes to assist employers and employees maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Promoting Work Life Balance as part of the South Australian Strategic Plan (SASP)

SafeWork SA is the lead agency for the Work Life Balance target within the SASP. SASP Target 2.12 "Improve the quality of life of all South Australians through the maintenance of a healthy work-life balance".

Since establishing the Work Life Balance project in 2007, SafeWork SA has worked with key stakeholders across public and private sectors to develop a 'Work Life Balance Action Agenda' that supports the SASP target.

As part of this, a range of resources and information is being developed to assist employers implement flexible work arrangements.