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Case study – Bristol City Council

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Case study - Bristol City Council


'The process was as important as the outcome. The partnership between unions and management meant that new solutions were found to old problems.'
Jo Morris TUC project manager

The Time of Our Lives was an ambitious work-life balance project which delivered win-win results for staff and managers in a range of services.

The TUC , the Employers' Organisation for Local Government, Bristol City Council and council trade unions: GMB , TGWU , UNISON , worked together on a European Union sponsored project which aimed to:

  • explore the potential for innovative working patterns that would improve both the quality of Council services and employees' ability to balance their paid work with the rest of their lives.
  • develop models of partnership between trade unions and employers to enable them jointly to identify better ways to organise work and time
  • develop a positive model of flexibility which was win-win for employees, employers and customers
  • share experiences of different ways of reconciling work, personal responsibilities and aspirations and access to council services
  • widely disseminate lessons learnt.

The project was set-up because the City Council was under pressure to deliver better services, improve flexibility, and try and satisfy employee aspirations on work-life balance.

Key to success was the commitment from the start of the Council's political leadership and management to solutions which reflected the views of staff and trade unions.

Surveys and focus groups of staff showed that both men and women were interested in trying out different work patterns. Three findings are particularly interesting:

  • a higher proportion of women than men wanted opportunities for education and training
  • men were more likely than women to say they wanted more family time
  • the most common reason for wanting change was the desire to work more effectively in an 'uninterrupted, focused' way.

UNISON suggested a pilot flexible working project in the Library Service, where staff were demoralised because of recent cuts to the staffing budget. A customer survey had indicated a demand for Sunday opening but staff felt it would be a further incursion on their time.

Staff were surveyed to see who would like to work on a Sunday. It was made clear that participation would be voluntary, that no-one would be compelled to continue to work on a Sunday if they volunteered, and that individuals would benefit, through the usual additional Sunday payments.

Additional staff were recruited to work on Sundays alongside volunteers from existing staff, many of whom were part-time workers who wanted to increase their hours.

staff at bristol library working on a sunday

Photo by Sue Wilson

Sunday opening is now permanent at Bristol central Library after staff who were keen to swap or increase their hours responded to a work-life balance survey.

A further staff initiative was self-rostering, where staff organise shifts on a team basis which adds to staff feeling in control of their own working time, as well as organising work more effectively.

Sunday opening has resulted in a marked increase in library use - not only in quantity but in attracting different library users, especially families.

Similar initiatives have succeeded in other departments: pest control, waste management.



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