This literature review reviews the international and New Zealand literature on the business case for adopting work-life balance policies. The business case is established by weighing up the costs and benefits of introducing work-life balance policies and determining if the net impact is positive. In New Zealand, the EEO Trust’s Work & Life Awards highlight a number of strong case studies for the business benefits of work-life balance policies. Both the local and the international literature identify the benefits of work-life balance policies, which are:
• improved recruitment and retention rates, with associated cost savings;
• reduced absenteeism and sick leave usage;
• a reduction in worker stress and improvements in employee satisfaction and loyalty;
• greater flexibility for business operating hours;
• improved productivity and
• an improved corporate image.
The costs of implementing work-life balance policies include:
• direct costs, such as parental leave payments or providing equipment to telecommuters and
• indirect costs associated with temporarily filling the posts of absentees and temporary reductions in productivity arising from disruptions.
• costs associated with implementing work-life balance policies