Work-life balance crucial for Kiwis

MEDIA RELEASE

Thursday, 17 December 2015

Work-life balance crucial for Kiwis

Work-life balance is more important in New Zealand than in any other country, a new survey by workspace provider Regus suggests.

The global survey of more than 44,000 workers examined the trends driving flexible working, which includes more flexible working hours and a mix of working from home and the office.

Four out of five New Zealand workers (80 per cent) said growing demand for work-life balance was driving flexible working, the highest of all surveyed countries and well above the global average of 61 per cent.

The next biggest driver was increasing demand from employees to work closer to home, which 46 per cent of Kiwi workers said was important.

The rising cost of commuting (34 per cent) and the rising cost of housing (22 per cent) were other factors driving flexible working.

Regus New Zealand Area Director Pierre Ferrandon says the survey shows New Zealand workers place a premium on work-life balance.

“Work-life balance is an important part of the New Zealand work culture, but achieving that balance is becoming more difficult for many Kiwi workers,” he says.

“Kiwis want to live closer to work, but house prices are rising in the major cities and commutes are getting longer and more expensive. It’s up to businesses to come up with creative solutions to these challenges.”

Another key driver of flexible working was the need for organisations to be agile and capable of meeting changing market demands (44 per cent).

Other drivers included attracting staff from a wider talent pool (28 per cent), complying with best-practice employee flexibility standards (28 per cent) and reducing leasehold property under-occupancy (14 per cent).

Ferrandon says the shift towards more flexible working conditions is being driven by both employers and employees.

“The business world no longer operates only from 9am to 5pm on weekdays. Businesses need to be agile so they are in position to respond to customer needs anywhere, any time.

“Meanwhile, more and more workers are looking for flexibility in their jobs, for a variety of reasons. If businesses are unable to offer this, they may miss out on talented candidates or struggle to retain their current workers.”

www.regus.co.nz

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