WLF aims at fostering a positive Work-Life-Flow (WLF) in post-Corona legacy arising from remote working and social distancing. WLF refers to the dynamic equilibrium between an individual’s professional and social roles. The EU-Directive 2019/1158 (European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019) on work-life balance and their concretization at national levels (e.g., in Spain The Royal Decree-Law 6/2019, of March 1) and the aim of the International Labour Organisation for ‘Decent Work’ (Article 7 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) show relevance of WLF. Because of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, work and life is changing and becoming focused on remote work. This will change practices and boundaries of work and life. Mastering a healthy WLF is a challenging key competence to maintain an effective work performance while increasing social, physical and mental health, including working parents and informal carers. A needs analysis of reports (Joint Research Council of EC) and trends in European policy on key competences and work-life balance discovered a skills gap. Such non-cognitive skills are underdeveloped across the EU’s education systems but expected to grow in importance. Therefore, the projects’ competency-based approach to WLF, is key to foster individual well-being within current and future workforce. The WLF envisioned competences represent one of the eight key competences of life-long learning (“Personal, social and learning to learn”) identified by the Council of the European Union. The objectives of WLF are to offer three main outcomes/products apart of new knowledge on WLF: to develop and test an a) innovative concept- and web-based self-assessment tool for WLF linked to EFQM model b) innovative blended, virtual/distance training materials c) integrated solution (assessment tool and training) to tackle the skills gap on WLF-related competences of future and current professionals for a positive WLF to reduce negative health- and performance-related outcomes. Related to these objectives the project activities will range from research for WLF-index development and educative materials to the assessment tools software and multimedia training implementation, its real-world testing of the integrated solution at HEI and companies. WLF uses a scientific-practitioner approach for developing an assessment WLF-index and blended multimedia virtual/distance training materials to yield the most transferable results. Desktop research on the contents for the assessment tool and training materials will be applied. Findings will be aligned with the Excellence dimensions as described in the EFQM Model. The software implementation will build upon researched parameters and make use of the existing design of LOPEC’s Personal Excellence Tool. Multimedia modules (animated screens, video clips, virtual add-ons) of the overall training solution will be developed by multimedia specialist UBT. The project will follow a combination of the agile software development approach and the rapid prototype cycle with its parallelism of development and testing (Alpha, Beta & Gamma Cycles). The WLF project envisions a transnational approach since cultural and national legislative contexts need to be taken into account. In this sense, the assessment tool allows transnational comparisons. Project partnership consists of four HEI and three business partners. The choice of the partners was based on criteria as knowledge and experience in WLF relevant fields, existing networks for dissemination and impact possibilities, sustainability of the project measures, experience in European projects. The partners complement each other: The university partners (UB, UC, UBT, WIT) are experts in the fields of occupational health, WLF and health-promoting organizational processes, ‘Decent Work’ and HRM. IBK is a leading expert on the topic of Excellence and an EFQM’s certified Partner Organization and will provide the software for the assessment tool. IIE and Eskilara represent the industrial end-user and will be involved in development and testing. The project result will be a multilingual and pilot-tested E-Platform providing a web-based Assessment tool and virtual Training Solution to diagnose and manage WLF. This E-Platform will enable students and employees to foster key competences for positive WLF based on identified potentials. For the HR sector, it allows an evidence-based identification of improvement areas for HRM and training to integrate in appropriate WLF strategies. Dissemination will done regionally and inter/nationally using the partnerships’ and Advisory Boards’ networks as well as congresses and journals. Short/medium benefits will be analyzed for students and employees. In a longer term, benefits are economically and educationally the development of a new ICT-based training product. For society, WLF seeks a more resilient and psychologically healthy current and future European workforce.
The project main objective was, first, to raise awareness among individuals/employees, supervisors, and Human Resource Management of the increasing challenge to maintain sustainable work-life-flows by providing a tested tool for WLF diagnosis. The second main objective was to test and to provide a training solution to increase related needed key competences. The sub-objectives of WLF were a) to develop a solid and innovative concept-based self-assessment tool for a WLF index and b) to train current and future business professionals for a positive WLF to reduce negative health- and performance-related outcomes using an integrated training solution. Summarizing, we wanted to achieve and disseminate new knowledge on WLF, to co-create and provide a validated WLF assessment online tool so that individual and corporations can diagnose their current WLF situations better, to develop and disseminate an online training, and ultimately, to test and validate the integrated solution. In doing so, we wanted to close concerning existing skills gaps related to WLF and to provide instruments to close this gap in different education systems, including HEI and C-VET.
The application was assembled amid the COVID-19 pandemic that disruptively shaped the working world. Given this fast-changing world of ‘work without boundaries’, mastering an adaptive healthy work-life-flow (WLF) between the domains of work and private life is a challenging key competence to maintain an effective work performance while increasing health and wellbeing. The WLF project addressed the following needs: Increasing knowledge on WLF in pandemic and post-pandemic times: More knowledge of pandemic impacts was needed to navigate the WLFs of individuals. Informing Human Resource Management (HRM) and individual measures: It was unclear which WLF enhancing measures are most effective for organizations and individuals. Developing a tool to assess WLF key factors: Helping employees to foster WLF can enhance the synergy between sustainable performance while not undermining wellbeing. Self-assessment tools that highlight WLF-related pain points and success factors were needed. Developing WLF competences of students and professionals (skills gap): An analysis of study plans and a survey for professionals showed that both need competences for WLF, and related training solutions.