Today marks the end of National Work Life Week! Following on from this, we at ESS felt this would be a great opportunity to have a look at the campaign and celebrate some of the hard-working families we champion and support in our team!

What is National Work Life Week?

Run by the UK’s Work Life balance charity, Working Families, National Work Life Week is an annual campaign designed for employers to show both employees and potential candidates, how their organisation supports working families. With 13 million working parents in the UK, it’s important that we as employers adapt to the needs of the modern workforce that make up a hefty third of the UK workforce.

#WorkLifeWeek is a fantastic opportunity to show how your organisation supports healthy and sustainable working practice, along with a keen work-life balance for modern working families!

Some facts that may surprise you:

• Over 1 in 10 parents have been refused a new job or said no to a promotion due to a lack of work-life flexibility from their employer
• 86% of parents in the UK desire job flexibility – but under 1 in 5 jobs advertised feature this benefit
• Due to an unsupportive work culture and piling workloads, parents are working beyond their contracted hours and means
• Half of parents/carers say work affects their ability to spend time with their families, with a quarter of working parents (29%) stating that they feel their well-being is poor much of the time

Flexible working

At ESS we are big believers in helping employees to ensure their wellbeing is supported both at home and at work. Excessive working hours and a lack of flexibility can lead to a lack of productivity and an unmotivated, uncaring workforce. Ensuring your employees are supported in their working week creates a positive outlook, engagement, motivation and a loyalty to the organisation.

Quick Fact!

Two thirds of working parents in Scotland state they’d be more motivated, productive and more likely to stay if their employers offered flexibility.

Making work, work for all!

At ESS we promote a working culture where the passion that our business was founded on is visible. We encourage our employees to continue their professional development within their careers, making a point to always listen and offer learning opportunities where possible.

Every team member at ESS has the opportunity to not only work flexibly, but also do what they enjoy, developing their learning with further training! We are a happy and forward thinking team; we all believe in the quality and integrity of the training we deliver. We embolden one another, encourage engagement and champion each individual success – both in and out of work.

Take a look at some of the Work life balance we support at ESS: #WorkLifeWeek

Photo shows our Client Sales Co-ordinator, Laura Wagstaff with two of her children, Bronte and Olan

Laura says,

Working for ESS has been a breath of fresh air for me. I have never felt at ease asking to nip off to children’s school events or appointments and was always weighed down heavily with the guilt, worried that this would affect my progression at work. That is not ESS at all, all managers are so supportive of my home-life commitments which has meant that I can still have a fantastic career as well as being a mummy!

Photo shows our Training and Consultancy Manager, Michael Harcourt, spending some quality time with his daughter Mila

Michael says,

Working for ESS has enabled me to spend time at home with my daughter when I’m not out training, this is a huge benefit for me, and keeps me motivated to work hard for the company. Work life balance is a big part of the ESS ethos and is actively promoted by my line manager.

Photo shows our Training and Consultancy Instructor, Matt Fletcher with his two daughters Esme and Lily

Matt says,

Creating a balance between work and family time is so important. ESS have always supported me and I’m given the flexibility to manage my own training diary, so that I can be around for school plays, sports days, drop offs and pick ups.  I really value this time with my children and wife. Your relationship with your employer is a two way street and I can honestly say, after the support I have received they will be repaid in my hard work and graft. That's the key to a healthy and positive workforce, take care of them and they will give you everything back.

Want to join the ESS team?

If you’re looking for new job opportunities, ESS could be the next step in your journey! Why not visit our work for us page, and have a look at the current vacancies we have available.

One small step can change your life.

What about our Learners?

At ESS we understand that creating a supportive environment is beneficial to not only our teams, but also the learners involved in the training we promote.

In order to support the potential and developing workforce, and the overall economy, we design flexible learning programmes in order to remove barriers to learning for learners who have family commitments.

As a learning provider, it is our responsibility to encourage and strive for flexibility to enable all learners to achieve their full potential in the working world.

Why not take a look at our course index today and see what training we have available.

Looking for more support or advice?

Why not get in touch with our training team today to see how we can help you on your career journey.

If you’re a working family seeking advice, why not contact the Working Families charity on 0300 012 0312 or, drop them an email at [email protected]