The following are some key principles underpinning the introduction of work life balance arrangements:

• benefit the organisation and its employees;
• acknowledge that the needs of both the organisation and employees are not static, but change over time;
• highlight the need for management, unions/employee representatives and employees to discuss workable solutions;
• encourage a partnership approach to meeting the needs of both the organisation and the employees; 
• operate in a fair and consistent manner; be economically feasible;
• value employees for their contribution to the business, not their working pattern;
• be carefully planned and agreed;
• include a monitoring and evaluation mechanism;
• take into account the equality implications of any policies introduced; 
  and
• be communicated to all employees in the organisation. Developments and changes to policies should also be communicated on a regular basis.