Employer plans for National Work-Life Week 2011

What are you planning for the week?   Contact Liz Whitehead, press@workingfamilies.org.uk and add your plans to this page.

American Express will be raising awareness on the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance during National Work Life week. The programme is a collaborative effort from the UK Healthy Living Team, Public Affairs & Communications, Global Diversity & Inclusion and all of the UK Employee Networks and will offer:

· A joint Employee Network event to explore the power of the Employee Networks

· A talk and panel discussion with Professor Cary Cooper CBE on mental and physical resilience

· Various activities to support leaders in leading a flexible culture, including a “Q and A session with Scott Abrahams, Vice President at American Express and the Executive Sponsor of the ‘Flexible Workplace Culture’ Diversity Council workstream”

Logica are holding a virtual ‘Question Time’ debate on worklife balance, via conference call and Live Meeting.

Mayer Brown is marking National Work-Life Week 2011 with a variety of initiatives:

· a health and wellbeing day which will include a seminar with a well known sports star

· a day focused around our community and pro-bono activities to promote internally our corporate social responsibility programme and how to get involved

· on site massage – with a choice of three different types of massage

· a carers day which will include an elder care seminar, the opportunity to have a 1-1 discussion with the seminar speaker and a roadshow by My Family Care promoting our new emergency and dependant care benefit.
 

KPMG

KPMG is marking the week with a series of activities to promote flexible working and offer practical tips from the experts on getting the balance right. Events planned are:

- a Balancing Act Workshop: The workshop will examine what Work-Life Balance means for you; provide strategies for making the most of time with your children; help you move beyond feelings of guilt and identify actions that will make a difference for you and your family.

-  Your Flexible Friend:  Have you ever wanted to work flexibly but never knew where to start? Why not meet members of the Flexible Working Forum (FWF) to get your questions answered or learn more about the flexible working options available at KPMG.

-  A Relaxation Event: The relaxation event is hosted by Nuffield Health and will focus on improving your understanding of how we relax and why relaxation is important. It will also share practical tips to help you relax more effectively at home and at work. The physiologist will run mind ball sessions on a drop in basis. This is a fun relaxation game that analyses our brain waves to show when we are relaxed.
 

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust have been running an Improving working lives event which commenced on Monday 19th and ends on Friday 30th September.  They have invited organisations who provide our staff benefits in to promote and discuss with the staff what is available to them. This includes childcare vouchers, a travel club, Homebuy and cycle to work scheme. The Occupational health department have provided sessions around, smoking cessation, stress workshops and blood pressure monitoring as well as providing information on the health benefits of walking and other health related issues.

During National Work-Life Week they have the following events taking place:
Monday 26th - Smoking Cessation and Blood pressure monitoring at 2 of our sites Tuesday 27th - Smoking Cessation and Blood pressure monitoring on our 3rd main site Wednesday 28th - Bikes for the NHS Thursday 29th - 'Homebuy' to give advice on part ownership/part rental schemes & Stress session Friday 30th - details of childcare voucher service and Travel club & Stress session

They will also be promoting health related matters, green travel options, career guidance, what the organisation does with respect to conflict resolution and the range of staff benefits including flexible working options through the Staff website and daily communications channels.         Continue for more employer plans...................................

Sellafield Ltd

Sellafield Ltd reports on the following activities to mark the week.

They have got the communications department on board and they have sent out the following to via their intranet system:

"National Work-Life Week is taking place from 26 September to 30 September 2011. The event is promoted by Working Families who are the UK’s leading work-life balance organisation.

During the week representatives from HR will be visiting Hinton House, Risley hosting a Childcare Voucher roadshow with information on the scheme provided by Computershare Voucher Services. The event is being held in Café Continental on Thursday 29 September from 11.00 to 14.00.

HR are also launching a Family Friendly Benefits booklet, capturing the main benefits available to employees in support of achieving work life balance – particularly aimed at working parents and carers.

The HR department has put together the family friendly benefits book which communications have linked to via the HR webpages, also included is a link to a set of KPIs providing information on how we compare with other organisations in terms of provision of childcare vouchers, maternity and paternity benefits. We have also provided employees with a page with further details on the Working Families webinars.

Barclays Wealth

Barclays Wealth has the following plans for the 2011 Week:

- The Balancing Act Seminar on how to be a successful working parent.  This is delivered face to face in London and via video conference locations.

- Daily profiles of employees who are managing different aspects of their non-work life with their job eg childcare, eldercare, studying, sports.

Dell Corporation Ltd

Dell are planning many activities to mark National Work-Life Week 2011.  Initiatives include:  free massage, work-life balance policy sessions (one onsite and one via Live Meeting for remote workers).  Lessons in Leadership (discussion with an Executive about their work-life balance, challenges, tips); stress management workshop; an onsite beautician; a "chatter session" (social media training); free fruit on wellbeing day; work-life fair (concierge service, employee discounts, competitions, farmers market)

Cirkle

The PR agency Cirkle is running the following initiatives for the 2011 Week:
- a week-long 'lock-out' (as opposed to 'lock-in') where the office doors will be shut at 5:30pm sharp every day to encourage people to leave work on time
- fruit boxes being delivered to our offices to help give everyone a chance to stock up on vitamin c and encourage them to have some of their '5 a day'
- we are running an anonymous survey, asking for employees'  take on their current work/ life balance and asking for ideas on how it could be improved. The best idea from the team will be implemented in 2012