These are changing times. We live in an age when high quality goods and services are demanded outside of normal working or opening hours.

Competitiveness, flexibility and quality services are key concepts in the organisation of work today – as are job security, job satisfaction and fairness.

The successful employer, private or public, has to deliver on all these. This means

• involving staff in decisions about change
• making sure their needs and aspirations are considered
• winning their commitment to new ways of working.

One of the most essential ingredients in the organisation of work is time:

• when we work
• for how long
• how we balance working time with time outside of work.

These are difficult issues which we have to resolve in the UK:

• British workers work the longest hours in Europe
• stress is the greatest cause of absence from work
• many organisations have not introduced family-friendly working, despite encouragement from government and positive reports from organisations which have.

Family-friendly concerns are not the only consideration – finding the time for learning, or taking part in community life, are equally powerful motivators for balancing life at work with life outside.

TUC welcomes low carbon skills strategy
Commenting on the Government's consultation on its low carbon skills strategy, announced today (Wednesday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

TUC launches new guide to family friendly working
The TUC has today (Tuesday) launched a new guide on how to persuade employers of the benefits of introducing family friendly policies at work.

Changing Times News 110 Jan 2010

TUC Monthly Work/Life Balance

Older documents

The Learning Disability Coalition
We are a supporter of The Learning Disability Coalition - where organisations work together to ensure that there is enough public funding for people with a learning disability to have the same chances and choices as everyone else.