More holiday please, we’re British
I remember a time when ‘flexible working’ was considered to be the refuge of the professional shirker. These days, in a world where the 9-5 has evolved into the 24/7, it’s the carrot being dangled in front of staff in search of the elusive ‘work-life balance’.
The forthcoming amendment to the Working Time Regulations, which increases the minimum statutory holiday entitlement, is the latest attempt by the Government to protect employees from the long-hour culture that threatens to cause a workplace stress epidemic.
I believe the manufacturing industry is a fair reflection of the UK workforce – we have our fair share of workaholics and malingerers as well as all those that fall between the two extremes. The amendment gives all these employees an important advantage over their holiday-starved colleagues in American and Japan – it gives them choice.
I know as many people who choose to work long hours and forgo annual leave because they need the money or are angling for a promotion, as I do those who successfully fight the pressure to take work home with them because of commitments to partners, families or the cricket season.
A happy workforce is a productive one and by increasing holiday entitlement - from 20 to 24 days per year from 1 October 2007 and to 28 days from 1 April 2009 - the Government is making a big investment in its biggest asset. It’s a positive step, and I think also a brave one when so much manufacturing has already moved to countries with cheaper workforces taking fewer holidays.
An independent study of working hours published by the Department of Trade and Industry found that those working the longest hours in the UK are men aged 30-49 with children and employed in the private sector. Unlike other EU countries, where people working long hours are most likely to be found working in hotels and restaurants, in the UK they are more commonly found in manufacturing.
Is the new holiday allocation going to be enough to protect UK workers from the common symptoms of workplace stress, most commonly headaches and migraines, irritability at home, time off work, and possibly most worrying – the tendency for stressed workers to drink too much to try and unwind?
No, I don’t think so. Work-life balance is much more than a single piece of legislation. Currently, family is still core to the issues surrounding work-life balance and I believe that means that, despite all the progress in sexual equality, it is still largely perceived as an issue for women rather than men.
There are signs that this is changing too with mothers more likely to have paid jobs than ever before but work-life balance is not just for women. Improved paternity benefits and more stable families provide good adult role models, fewer broken relationships and a reduction in crime and other anti-social behaviour. So everybody stands to benefit from policies to improve employees' work-life balance.
However, it’s important not to alienate those without young families. Flexible working can benefit all workers - I have colleagues who have taken career breaks or opted for flexible working hours and interim contracts so they can travel and study or care for elderly parents – something that’s only going to increase if you look at the demographics about our ageing population.
The advent of email and the internet has created as many problems as it has solved for the workforce. While it enables people to work flexibly, it can also mean people take their work and their stress home with them at the end of the day. It makes it harder to switch off when you can check your emails while you cook dinner. For those who work entirely from home it can be a lonely, isolating experience.
As with most new legislation, it’s the small businesses that will be the most affected – change costs money. There will be more work to cover which will put additional strain on limited resources but I believe they will soon begin to reap the benefits of a content workforce. In fact, over the past few years it is often small businesses (such as innocent and Green & Blacks) with progressive working environments that have generated loyalty and core brand values that have been so incredibly successful in food manufacturing.
I have been working for 20 years and I’ve been guilty of all of the above at some point. It’s hard to maintain the perfect balance of personal and professional life but I know that when I get close I am happier, I work better, and the company profits. Giving workers the chance to take more holiday can only benefit employers and employees alike.
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