The Netherlands is ranked the 2nd best country for work-life balance according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD). The new “Wet flexibel werken” (Flexible Work Act) that came into effect in 2016 helped to further establish the Netherlands as a country which values worker’s personal lives, by allowing employees to request changes to their working hours and workplace for improved flexibility. However, despite the generous Dutch attitude to work time flexibility, finding a balance between work and family life is a universal challenge for all parents. Modern working life only adds to the stress with the introduction of smartphones and around-the-clock internet access, meaning work contacts are guaranteed to be able to reach employees at any time.
Of course, employees can make use of their own personal methods and lifestyle changes to fit around their working lives and family commitments. Dividing and allocating time for family and work can appear daunting but, realistically, there is no need to divide the time for both evenly; there will be times where family will require more attention than work and vice versa. The situational nature of taking care of a family is why time flexibility is so valuable for parents. Both working life and family life can be unpredictable, so organising time around each depends on good flexibility and organisation. In case parents are unable to find such a balance, many employees in the Netherlands choose to work part-time to further add flexibility to their lives.
Arguably, one of the most important factors is the work ethic of the company where an employee finds him or herself. Some companies will dedicate themselves to accommodating a balanced family-work life for employees while others might not, but in the end it normally comes as a reflection of the boss’s own attitude to work. In extreme cases, bosses may be inflexible towards employees if they themselves are a ‘workaholic’. In such cases, workers need to be able to know how to negotiate by emphasising one’s own productivity and arguing that they need extra time to not only spend with their families, but also to stay focused and make the best out of the working day. Bosses may be more understanding if they see the potential to help an employee perform better in their job life.
In other cases, some employees in the Netherlands opt to go freelance (ZZP) to allow themselves the most control over their lives. A ZZP’er is an entrepreneur who works for a number of customers. Most ZZP’ers are a one-person business. At first glance this may appear to be an ideal solution for working parents but there are a number of issues to consider, such as the lack of work benefits and no paid compensation for sick days. In other words, there is no income or benefits to fall back on in case of emergencies, which can prove risky for workers who need to support a family. Income may also be unstable depending on customer demand, indicating a further lack of financial security.
The Netherlands as a whole is typically accommodating towards a good work-life balance, displaying a work culture that greatly values dedication to people’s personal lives. This is evident from how many workers choose to work part-time and improved laws to empower workers when it comes to negotiating flexibility with their employers. Balancing family and work will require some personal tweaking from parents to suit their lives, and different solutions and work structures may suit some parents better than others.
In a survey of 1,000 parents, LendEDU put some data behind the financial commitment that comes with raising a newborn baby.
- 45% of parents said their career was impacted by their newborn, while 45% said it was not, and 10% opted not to say
- Amongst those that said their career was impacted, 25% said they had to change jobs to increase take-home pay
Check out the full report here: https://lendedu.com/blog/cost-of-newborn-baby/
Written by: Edward Mah
Sources:
http://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/your-family/family-life/how-to-keep-a-work-life-balance/ , https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/01/20/the-five-things-successful-working-parents-give-up-to-reach-a-work-life-balance/#57eae79d57ea , https://www.thespruce.com/talking-to-boss-about-work-life-balance-1271081, https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/law/research/ewl/files/european-working-group-on-labour-law-netherlands-report-2014-pdf , http://businessculture.org/western-europe/business-culture-in-netherlands/work-life-balance-in-netherlands/ , http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-life-balance/