For many of us, there’s a day off work this Monday - but do you know the history of Labour Day? It’s all about work/life balance - which has never…
For many of us, there’s a day off work this Monday - but do you know the history of Labour Day? It’s all about work/life balance - which has never been more relevant than it is now in 2018.
As Labour Day approaches, it’s a great time to reflect on your working life. Labour Day was born out of the eight-hour working day movement, which advocated a balanced life for workers: eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation and eight hours for rest.
In Wellington in 1840, carpenter Samuel Parnell refused to work more than eight hours a day, and encouraged other workers to do the same.
The workers’ movement gained momentum over the next seventy years up to 1910 - when the government declared the fourth Monday in October would be a national holiday, which they called Labour Day.
Did you know that today, under New Zealand law, all employees have the right to ask for flexible working conditions? Also, employers must consider any request for flexible working conditions.
Think about this for a moment. Do you feel you have a good balance between your work and your home life? Is your work leaving you enough time for your family and friends and some time just for yourself?
If the answer to any of those questions is a resounding “no”, what could you do to improve things?
And what exactly does flexible working conditions mean, anyway? A lot of people think it means asking to work part-time instead of full-time, or changing the shifts you work - but really it’s so much broader than that.
As an employee in New Zealand, you can ask your employer to consider changing:
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your hours of work (over a day, a week or a year)
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the days you work each week
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your place of work - for example, you could ask to work some days from home or anywhere else that suits you.
Whether your employer can agree to make these changes will depend on your role in the workplace - for example if you are a bank teller, it may not be possible for you to work from home.
You can also make suggestions to change:
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how the work gets done in your company
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what time your work starts and ends
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how work is managed in the workplace, to help both other employees and the business
Labour Day is the perfect time to think about your working life and what you’d like to change about it.
For example, you might love your job but hate your commute. If you’re spending over an hour stuck in traffic, this causes stress to build up - stress you don’t need in your daily life.
Maybe you could ask if you can start work an hour or two earlier, before the morning rush hour begins.
Or if you’re a bit of a night owl, you could ask to start an hour or two later, avoiding both rush hour and the school run, and then stay at work later in the evening. Again this will depend on your role.
Even better, why not avoid the commute altogether and work from home for part of the week? All of the above are requests you can legitimately make to your employer.
Let’s take another example: your five year old has moved from day care (which was usually open for the whole working day) to primary school (which usually isn’t).
Like most parents, you may be wondering how on earth you can pick up your child at 3pm every working day and still keep doing a good job.
In this situation, it’s really worth sitting down with your employer and clearly explaining the challenges you’re facing.
Explain that you want to be a good parent AND a good employee - any good employer will understand that this a real juggling act.
One possible solution might be to start work early some mornings and knock off before 3pm so you can do the school run. (Of course, that option only works if you have a partner or another family member who can cover the mornings at home for you.)
If you’re on your own, or you don’t fancy early starts, you might be able to mix some days of after school childcare with a flexible working pattern.
Many schools offer after school clubs which run till 4.30 or even 5.30pm. Check out what your child’s school offers before you talk to your employer. That will show you’re keen to keep your job, and you’re seriously looking for ways to do that.
Finally, aside from being a parent or a carer for older or disabled family members, you’re probably a person who just wants to have a life.
New Zealand employment law is supportive of employees - successive governments have supported employees you (and continue to do so) in their quest for a life outside of work.
If a run on the beach after work is what floats your boat, ask your employer if you can start at 7am and finish at 4. If you prefer a leisurely start to the day, why not ask if you can start work at 10am instead of 8.30?
And if you’re someone who just doesn’t thrive on 40 hours a week in the office, home working or remote working could be the answer.
If any of these examples resonates with you personally, or if you need to make a change to your working life, step one is always to talk to your employer.
You can find out more about flexible working in New Zealand on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) website.
Here’s wishing you a fabulous day off this Monday and every success for making changes to your daily life. Hei konā rā - and the very best of luck.
