Pictured: Terence Hogarth, Principal Research Fellow at the Warwick Institute for Employment Research, is keynote speaker at the Work:life Balance Breakfast Briefing, hosted by Midlands law firm Challinors, at Conference Aston, Birmingham on Thursday 12th January 2012

Research by the Warwick Institute for Employment Research into the growing importance for employers of offering staff a realistic work:life balance to help ride-out the economic downturn, will be unveiled at a free briefing event next month.

Terence Hogarth, Principal Research Fellow at the Warwick Institute for Employment Research, is keynote speaker at the Work:life Balance Breakfast Briefing, hosted by Midlands law firm Challinors, at Conference Aston, Birmingham on Thursday 12th January 2012.

The event will look at the development of work:life balance over the last decade and the opportunities for employers and employees to benefit by adopting the latest thinking and practices.

Terence Hogarth has led a ten-year programme of research into employers' skills needs and HR policies and will unveil the key findings of the research at the event. 

Challinors' chief executive Andy Hodges, comments: "This is an important event for senior HR personnel and business owners and directors. 

"The challenges of the current economic climate have frequently led businesses to run a lean ship. Now they are faced with exploring less traditional methods than simply remuneration and pensions, to provide staff with added value and incentive to stay. The need to consider added reward for employees' services, to show appreciation of their hard work and to recognise their contribution to the business, with a portfolio of creative initiatives that embrace, recognise and support the challenge of the work:life balance.

"Terence Hogarth and the Institute for Employment Research has led the field in research in the area of work:life balance and activities," he adds, "and this event will provide both information and practical guidance on ways in which businesses can add value to help maintain staff morale and commitment." 

At the event, Terence Hogarth will unveil the Institute's latest thinking on how work:life balance practices in the economic downturn have contributed to employers' ability to hold onto employees, their most valuable asset, and the potential for its importance to grow coming out of the current economic downturn.

The Institute's research addresses work:life balance and its growing role and importance in the workplace, looking at topics such as enhanced rewards, service recognition, retention, childcare, relatives, divorce, loyalty, long hours working, career breaks and free legal services. 

Other speakers at the event are Challinors' Employment Law Partner Simon Bond, and HR Director Helen Jarvis, who will review the growing popularity of social and business networking sites, such as Twitter, Linked In and Facebook, which present sensitive workplace issues that can blur the boundaries of acceptable behaviour inside and outside the workplace. 

The event also marks the official launch of a new service from Challinors, iValue, its' latest innovative approach towards supporting employers by providing a comprehensive added-value legal facility for staff.

The Work:life Balance Breakfast Briefing takes place from 7.30am to 9am on Thursday 12th January 2012 at Conference Aston, Birmingham. The event is free to attend and includes a light breakfast. To reserve a place, register online before the 5th January 2012 at: http://challinorsworklifebriefing.eventbrite.co.uk/

Challinors has five strategically-located offices across the Midlands - Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton and Halesowen in the West Midlands, and Nottingham in the East Midlands. It has a team of over 200, including 17 partners, over 100 fee earners, and teams dedicated to providing specialist legal services from corporate and commercial, construction, dispute resolution, fraud and asset recovery, to professional negligence, business crime, commercial property and employment.  The firm is Number 1 in the Chambers UK Directory in a number of categories.