Kier Starmer and Labour’s resounding victory was the election headline-grabber, the most emphatic of any UK political party this century, despite its minimal increase in the share of the vote compared to five years ago.
That ascension was, of course, as much to do with the decline of the Tories, which was as brutal as it was humiliating with the most fleeting of PM’s Liz Truss and the wannabe PM Penny Mordaunt spectacularly falling from the electorate’s grace.
Locally too there were seismic, unexpected shifts with a shell-shocked Ian Paisley totally unprepared by the Allister whirlwind that took North Antrim by storm.
The upshot is that it’s all change at the Commons, and at Downing Street, with a new family taking up residence in Number 10.
The new PM wasn’t taking much time to settle into his new surroundings using his first weekend in charge to conduct a tour of the UK to send out the strong message that he would be a leader for all of the regions. As he gets to grips with this vast new brief a key consideration from a personal, well-being and family perspective will be how he maintains some form of work-life balance in one of the most demanding and unforgiving roles you can imagine.
In the weeks leading up to the election, Starmer said he would still try to “carve out protected time” for his teenage children if he won, maintaining a tradition of attempting to finish work by 6pm on Fridays.
The Starmer’s managed to maintain a safe distance from the media during the election campaign, but as the Labour leader’s workload intensifies, the spotlight will turn on him and his family, their values and traditions with his work-life balance no doubt being the subject of further scrutiny.
Starmer has stated that he doesn’t believe in the theory that “you’re a better decision-maker if you don’t allow yourself the space to be a dad and have fun for your kids”. This raises the question: Is there an expectation that political leaders should be ‘always on’ and at their desks 24/7?
Margaret Thatcher was famously proud of only indulging in four hours’ sleep and Gordon Brown was known for waking up his advisers before sunrise with questions on policy. The Women in Business Group has long since called for the importance of creating the right environment and culture to support a dynamic and vibrant workforce, and getting the right balance of work and life is a key ingredient to that success.
A common definition of work-life balance is “equal time or priority to personal and professional activities.” That ratio can be a challenge but instigating a work-life balance that works for both employees and the organisation has been an integral commitment of Aiken’s business model over the past 30 years.
The benefits are not just confined to employees. Work-life policies and flexible working practices also benefit businesses leading to lower levels of absence, sickness, and stress, motivating and energising staff, boosting staff morale and ultimately increasing productivity, outputs, and competitive advantage.
However, to offer the benefits and reap the rewards for both staff and the business it is important to make work-life balance a priority and don’t leave it too long! As Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates once said: “I didn’t believe in vacations. I didn’t even believe in weekends.”
While there is no doubt that all businesses have “crunch times”, when employees will work longer hours to get the business through, creating a culture where they know they will have downtime outside of work not only spurs creativity but gives a fresh perspective that is needed to support innovation and growth.
If we don’t step away and become immersed in life outside of work coping with the demands of the job can be all-consuming and can lead to burnout. Looking back through a political lens, this is exactly what happened to New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern when she surprised the world last year, by announcing that she was quitting because she no longer had “enough in the tank” to do the job.
Politicians enjoy many privileges, but they often carry large burdens, cope with constant travelling, long days and short nights with little time to relax. That is why the new PM’s commitment to making family time sacrosanct is not only the right course of action for him and his family, but it can help him cope with the pressure of having one of the UK’s most relentless and stressful jobs.
Many studies have shown that working long hours and not having quality family time does not increase productivity or make you a more inspirational leader. If anything, the opposite happens. Research from the University of Georgia found that positive interactions with your children and family during regular downtime actually make a better leader. A better leader means contented staff who have the freedom to be creative, effective and more productive! That means everybody’s a winner.
Over the weeks ahead as we carve out that downtime during the holiday period to have a well-earned rest and recharge the batteries – let’s not make it a one-off – let’s embrace spending quality time with family and loved ones on a regular basis and most definitely by switching off by 6 pm on a Friday!
- Claire Aiken is managing director at Aiken PR
