Workplace of the future must be proactively diverse

“Workplaces of the future need to be proactive in their attitudes towards diversity at work, and the EEO Trust and their annual Awards play an important role in encouraging a healthy attitude to balancing work and life needs,” CTU secretary Carol Beaumont said today. 

“We congratulate tonight’s winners at the EEO Trust Work & Life Awards, now in its tenth year of recognising leaders in work-life balance initiatives.”

 “The CTU sees better recognition of the need for work-life balance as part of the changes necessary to create a sustainable economy providing high-skill, highly productive and high-waged work, and to meet the changing needs of the workforce and workplaces.”

“There is an essential role for unions in achieving work-life balance, through bargaining for improvements in collective employment agreements that support work-life balance, seeking changes in the legal minimum code and through workplace partnerships.”

“The experience of many workers is that our long-hours culture, insecure hours and work intensification are having a negative impact on their family lives, and this is backed up by recent Department of Labour analysis finding that 46% of workers experience some degree of work-life conflict.”

“The flexible working hours Bill, currently before Parliament, is needed to send a clear message to workers with caring responsibilities that it’s okay to request flexible working hours, and that your employer will need to consider that request seriously.”

“United Kingdom experience of flexible working hours legislation has been very positive, to the point where only 10% of requests for flexible work are turned down by employers, and that country is now debating extending it to all parents.  The CTU believes that the right to request flexible hours should be extended to all workers in New Zealand also.”

“Unionised workers will continue using their collective efforts to support initiatives that address work-life balance, but this is an issue that also needs support in the law."