AC 3.1 An explanation of the importance of achieving work-life balance with the employment relationship with an overview of the regulations relevant to work-life balance

According to Sanfilippo (2022), creating a harmonious work-life balance is critical to improving not only employees’ physical, emotional and mental well-being as well as their careers. Sanfilippo (2022) defines work-life balance as the state of equilibrium when an individual equally prioritises work and personal demands. According to CIPD (2019), poor work-life balance is one of the undermining attempts to improve job quality in the UK. Three in five (60%) employees interviewed in the CIPD (2019) survey stated that longer working hours disrupted their family life balance. There are numerous benefits associated with long working hours. The first benefit of work-life balance is that it reduces employee turnover. When employees are satisfied, they are less likely to leave their organisation. Additionally, offering flexible working options to workers makes their lives easier and results in increased productivity.

For instance, some employees are more active during the day while others are more active during the night. Thus, allowing them to work at their most suitable time will increase productivity. Furthermore, work-life balance increases staff morale. Regarding that, when employees experience a better work-life balance, they are more likely to put more effort into their job positions (IRIS 2018). Apart from work-balance initiatives offered by different regulations, there are also vital regulations relating to the same. Some key work-life balance regulations include holidays, mandatory rest periods, and maternal and paternal leaves, among many others. For instance, under the UK’s Statutory Maternity Leave, eligible employees can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave (Gov.uk 2022). Additionally, almost all employees across the UK are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid leave in a year (Gov.uk 2022).