Equal - Digital Repository

Background
The DP has been formed to help develop Work Life Balance (WLB) strategies in arenas not hitherto engaged with WLB.  This marks a complete change from the usual single focus on childcare issues.  

The DP’s partners have included statutory, public, private, voluntary and community organisations.  Employers engaged with the partnership have ranged from sole traders through to organisations employing 4,000+ employees. The DP has also been well represented by partners from FE, HEIs and the TUC. The DP has been developing and implementing a regional strategy for WLB, building and expanding on existing sub-regional networks; coordinating disparate WLB polices and practices; and disseminating good practice outcomes in innovation, partnership working, equal opportunities, empowerment and building the business case for WLB.  The work of the DP contributes to the Government’s aim of encourage employers to adopt practices that suit their businesses and employees, recognising that employees have different needs at different stages of their life.  This strategy acknowledges that people work best if they can achieve appropriate balance between work and other aspects of their lives


Aims
The main aims of Adjust the Balance have been to demonstrate the power of WLB approaches, to promote inclusive working practices and to facilitate the adaptability of companies in the West Midlands region to adopt WLB strategies.   There has also been a strong focus on the applicability of the regional work to inform national and European policy.


Objectives
The specific objectives have been to:

• Raise the importance of WLB on the national agenda
• Broaden the WLB agenda
• Raise WLB as a social, political and business issue

In both the domestic and transnational projects the focus of activity has been to:

• Establish action research projects to feed into employer engagement pilots
• Develop common assessment criteria for best business awards
• Work with SMEs to develop flexible, responsive working practices.  

Target groups

In addition, the partnership has been targeting those SMEs without dedicated HR support in order to help them to develop WLB policies and practices.

Adjust the Balance has its origins in the Work Life Balance Task Groups of the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCP) in and around Birmingham. Organisations in the tasks groups came together and broadened to include other organisations in the wider West Midlands.

Adjust the Balance has built a partnership which has immense potential to impact on process, practice and policy at all levels from the local to European. The DP has been engaged in a wide variety of activities regarding process, developing and implementing good practice, developing products to support the activities, undertaking baseline and action research. A specific aim of the DP is to develop and implement an effective regional strategy for WLB, which informs and influences national and international policy.