A culture of working long hours is developing in Irish workplaces, particularly for senior staff, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions warned yesterday.
Marking Work Life Balance Day, Ictu called for a new working culture involving more flexible arrangements and better supports for parents.
The day is held by the Government every year to encourage a better balance between work and home life.
Sally Anne Kinahan, Ictu's assistant general secretary, called for legislation giving people the right to more flexible working arrangements. She said more shops and factories were staying open for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "We are also witnessing a very worrying trend where older people are being forced into a situation where they have to work beyond the normal retirement date due to economic necessity," she said.
Ms Kinahan called for the introduction of paid paternity leave, pointing out that Ireland was one of only three countries out of the original EU 15 that did not give fathers the right to paternity leave. She also called for paid parental leave so that all parents would be able to avail of the 14-week leave provision.
Improved maternity leave provisions came into force yesterday, giving women 22 weeks' maternity leave and 12 weeks' additional unpaid leave.
Meanwhile, the Equality Authority called for a more balanced take-up of flexible working arrangements by men. Niall Crowley, Equality Authority chief executive, also called for improvements to parental leave provisions. "Ireland provides 14 weeks' parental leave as opposed to three years in France, Finland and Germany and two years in Austria," he said. Ireland was one of six member states of the original 15 where this leave is unpaid.
The employers' group Ibec pointed out that a lack of exercise, poor nutrition and pressures such as commuting and childcare were all having an enormous impact on staff.
Maria Cronin, Ibec director of European and social policy, said the health and well-being of staff had become a critical issue because of rising obesity and diabetes levels. She pointed to a survey last year which found that people in employment slept less and had less free time than ever before.
"The health of your staff can be constantly eroded by the lifestyle changes and the recreational choices that they make," Ms Cronin said.
The Minister of State with responsibility for Labour Affairs, Tony Killeen, said the development of work life balance policies was essential if rates of overall employment were to rise "and particularly female participation in the workforce" .
Just the job ... firms that are a pleasure to work for
O2 Ireland has been voted by its staff as the best company to work for in Ireland. And despite the woes in the health sector, Temple Street Children's Hospital in Dublin became the first public hospital worldwide to secure a place in the top 10 best workplaces list.
The annual "50 Best Companies to Work for in Ireland" list was announced by the Tánaiste, Mary Harney, at an awards ceremony in Croke Park last night.
The list was compiled by the Great Place to Work Institute, which invited more than 4,000 companies to take part. It surveyed over 100 Irish organisations and interviewed a random selection of staff with a confidential questionnaire.
The Irish naval flagship, the LE Eithne appeared in the best 50 list - the first time that part of a country's armed forces was included in the list.
Outstanding achievement awards were won by Google Ireland, Intel Ireland, GE Commercial Aviation, Abbott Laboratories and Brightwater.
The Irish companies will now compete for a place in the "100 Best Workplaces in Europe" list, which will be announced in May.
Ireland's top 10: best companies - as voted by staff
Airtricity; Brightwater; DePuy; Diageo; GE Commercial Aviation Services; Google; Intel; O2 Ireland; PEI; Temple Street Hospital
Apart from the winner, the organisers do not give rankings for the top 10 companies.
Source: The Best Companies Study, compiled by the Great Place to Work Institute, Ireland
