WORK LIFE BALANCE
Why is it that now more than ever people are seeking more of a work life balance?
When Covid hit, it was an unknown and worrying time; people were dying, many staff were made redundant, and we were kept at home with our families for the vast majority of the time.
After a while, we came to appreciate that time and to really see its value.
These days, many people feel that work isn’t the be-all and end-all, perhaps on our beautiful island more than anywhere else. We want to spend time outdoors, whether that be by being active or resting, we want to spend time with our families and friends, we want to have hobbies, do sports, travel. For a while during Covid we were kept indoors and our lives didn’t feel safe, so it makes sense that we now want to live them as fully as possible.
Employers
Employers are understanding that more too nowadays. Businesses are offering flexi-time, part time hours and regular working from home. It’s become the norm and candidates expect it. We’ve all heard about the trials that companies have introduced over the last year or so for 4-day weeks or early finishes on a Friday, mainly during the summer, as well as the 9-day fortnight.
In May 2022, PWC announced that it would be trialling a 4-day week. PWC CI’s Senior Partner, Nick Vermeulen, said:
“Workers in general have emerged from the pandemic with different expectations around what constitutes a healthy life-work balance…. we’re determined to do even more to be a great, innovative employer, rewarding and retaining both our current teams, as well as being a magnet for future talent on the Islands. We’re keen ultimately to embrace a new model of work which focuses on quality of outputs, not quantity of hours.” www.pwc.com
In turn, businesses have seen that staff who are allowed to work the hours that they prefer, will appreciate that option and will work hard. We enjoy our jobs and want to succeed, but we also went to have time off to undertake our own pursuits or spend time with family.
Of course, all of this depends on reliable staff who are happy to work on a rota style basis and cover when their colleagues are having their scheduled day/time off.
Situations’ Model
Here at Situations, we have always offered flexible working, with most of our staff now working reduced hours and some preferring to regularly work from home. We operate on a strong team model and buddy system to be able to cover each other easily during any staff absences. Indeed, even well before Covid hit, we have always had the ability to just pick up our laptops and take them home to work if, for example, our children were sick or the plumber was visiting.
Going forward, we believe that this trend for flexible working will continue and increase. When candidates apply for a new role, they now expect the option of flexing or reducing their hours, or regularly working from home.
We are so lucky to live in this beautiful island with full employment and we want to take advantage of it.
If you’re thinking about making a career move and need flexed or reduced hours, or some time working from home, get in touch with us today and we’ll help you find that ideal position which caters to your needs – team@situations.gg
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