Work-Life Balance Study, 2013: Employers' Survey

<P>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</P>In 2000, the Government launched the Work-Life Balance Campaign, targeting employers to promote the benefits of flexible working for all employees. Although this campaign was not specifically aimed at parents or carers, the legislation restricted rights to apply for changes in the hours, timing or place of work to those employees with caring responsibilities. <br>
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The then Department for Education and Employment (later the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and now the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)) carried out the first <i>Work-Life Balance Survey</i> (WLB1) in 2000 (held at the UK Data Archive under SN 4465). It was used to assess how far employers operated work-life balance practices and whether employees felt that existing practices met their needs. The first survey was followed up in 2003 by a second survey, a two-part survey of employees and employers (WLB2) (held under SNs 5079 and 5080) and by a third wave in 2006 and 2007 (WLB3) (held under SNs 7028 and 5787). The fourth employee survey was carried out in 2011 (held under SN 7112) and the fourth employers survey was completed in 2013 (held under SN 7775).<br>
<br><br>The fourth <i>Work-Life Balance Survey of Employers</i> was carried out between June and August 2013 and was designed to add to the time-series data on the attitudes and behaviours of employers in relation to assisting work-life balance for their staff. It covered the period following the Work and Families Act 2006, over which time there were additional and significant changes in the regulatory landscape including the extension of the right to request flexible working to parents of older children (2009) and Additional Paternity Leave Regulations (2010). In addition to rights such as statutory holiday entitlement and rights to paternity, maternity and parental leave, this legislation meant employees with children under the age of 17 (18 and under if disabled) and co-resident carers had a right to request flexible working. Other changes included the introduction in 2011 of additional paternity leave and pay, which enabled fathers to take up to 26 weeks of additional paternity leave. In addition, there were Coalition Government commitments on flexible parental leave and the extension to all employees of the right to request flexible working: Consideration was also being given to providing support to individuals who have a temporary need for flexibility.<br>
<br><br><B>Main Topics</B>:<BR><br>The main topics covered by the questionnaire are: workplace characteristics; availability and take-up of flexible working; managing requests for flexible working; maternity leave; paternity leave; parental leave, emergency time-off and special leave provisions; general attitudes to flexible working and leave arrangements; default retirement age and working time.

本摘要版权归英国数据服务中心（UK Data Service）及数据集原版权所有者所有。
2000年，英国政府启动工作与生活平衡运动，旨在推动雇主为全体员工推行弹性工作制相关利好政策。尽管该运动并未专门针对父母或照料者群体，但相关立法将申请调整工作时长、时段或工作地点的权利，限定给了有照料责任的员工。
时任教育与就业部（后先后更名为商业、企业与监管改革部（BERR），现为商业、创新与技能部（BIS））于2000年开展了首届**工作与生活平衡调查（Work-Life Balance Survey，WLB1）**，该调查由英国数据档案馆以馆藏编号SN 4465收录，旨在评估雇主落实工作与生活平衡相关举措的程度，以及员工是否认为现有举措契合自身需求。2003年，该调查迎来随访：针对员工与雇主的两部分第二期调查（WLB2，馆藏编号为SN 5079与SN 5080）；2006至2007年开展了第三轮调查（WLB3，馆藏编号为SN 7028与SN 5787）。2011年完成第四期员工调查（馆藏编号SN 7112），2013年完成第四期雇主调查（馆藏编号SN 7775）。
2013年6月至8月开展的第四届**雇主工作与生活平衡调查**，旨在补充关于雇主协助员工实现工作与生活平衡的态度与行为的时间序列数据。本次调查覆盖了2006年《工作与家庭法案》出台后的时段，期间监管环境出现多项重大变革：2009年将弹性工作制申请权扩展至大龄子女父母，2010年出台《额外陪产假条例》。除法定带薪休假、陪产假、产假及育儿假等权益外，此类立法还赋予了17岁以下子女（若子女残疾则为18岁以下）的员工以及同住照料者申请弹性工作制的权利。2011年还推出了额外陪产假与津贴政策，允许父亲享受最长26周的额外陪产假。此外，联合政府还承诺推行弹性育儿假，并将弹性工作制申请权扩展至全体员工；当时相关部门还在考虑为有临时性弹性工作需求的个人提供支持。
**核心调研主题**：
本次问卷涵盖的主要内容包括：职场特征；弹性工作制的可获得性与实际使用情况；弹性工作制申请的管理流程；产假；陪产假；育儿假、紧急休假与特殊休假条款；对弹性工作制及休假安排的总体态度；法定退休年龄与工作时长。