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Work, life and workplace flexibility The Australian Work and Life Index 2009. Committee for Economic Development of Australia Hyatt Hotel, Adelaide 30 th July 2009. AWALI 2009: How work fits with rest of life in an economic downturn. Who did we ask?.
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Work, life and workplace flexibility The Australian Work and Life Index 2009 Committee for Economic Development of Australia Hyatt Hotel, Adelaide 30thJuly 2009
AWALI 2009: How work fits with rest of life in an economic downturn
Who did we ask? • We surveyed 2700 working Australians in March/April (1435 in 2007, 2800 in 2007) • Newspoll ran the survey • Randomised survey which is pretty representative • This year we focussed especially on • workplace flexibility • international comparisons • education and training • What did we find?
How do we measure work-life outcomes? • How often does work interfere: • with activities outside work? • with enough time with family or friends? • With community connections • How frequently do we feel rushed and press for time? • How satisfied are we with our work-life balance?
Downturn, what downturn? • Hours down • But not work-life pressures • Overall two-thirds broadly satisfied with work-life balance • But more are unsatisfied than in earlier years • And some more unsatisfied • Men have worse outcomes than women • But when doing the same hours, women are worse
Work-life interference? • Many people are affected by work • A quarter feel work often or almost always interferes with enough time with family or friends (43% never/rarely) • Just under a quarter feel that work often or almost always interferes with activities outside work (43% never/rarely) • 17% say work interferes often or almost always with community connections (60% never rarely) • Over half often or almost always feel rushed and pressed for time • But most – 68% - are reasonably satisfied with their work-life balance • Not a ‘work and family’ issue
A gendered story • Women are reporting work-life interference that is closer to men’s • Their work life satisfaction now on a par with men’s
International comparison: how well does work fit with family and social commitments (well, very well)
Implications for policy? • Long hours and overload • Health costs? • Organisation and management of work • Job design, overload • Flexibility • ‘Right to request’ • Right people are getting it first • Plenty of scope to increase • Country women and mothers • Need to know more • Domestic work • Reallocation: in our dreams?
Back to Jack Welch “There is no such thing as work-life balance. There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences. ..You’ll be passed over if you are not in the clutch.”