The State's first "Work-Life Balance Day", calls on employers to take into account the personal "life care responsibilities" of their employees.
The project, launched today by Mr Brian Lenihan, aims to stop staff leaving employment due to the failure of employers to help them strike a balance between work and their responsibilities outside the workplace.
Mr Patrick O'Leary from the Equality Authority said that employers who fail to consider the "personal requirements" of their staff cause a "case for discrimination".
"Compromises can be obtained by sitting down with your employee and discussing possible solutions to the matters concerned," he said.
Mr O'Leary said the initiative, organised by the National Framework Committee for Work-Life Balance Policies, is set up to "focus the minds of both employees and employers" on the benefits of a work-life balance.
Achieving a work-life balance is a "top personal challenge for managers in Ireland", said Irish Management Institute (IMI) researcher Ms Marion O'Connor.
The committee represents members from the Equality Authority, Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, IBEC and Congress.