Pressures faced by working people is the focus of a major one-day conference to be held in Inverness this week (Tuesday, April 30, 2002) Work Life Balance is being organised by the Workers Educational Association (WEA) as part of their women's development programme,Women@Work.

The seminar will consider the challenges parents and carers come up against when trying to balance home and work based responsibilities and will provide practical advice as well as a forum to share experiences. 

Project co-ordinator for the WEA Liz Paul said: "The stresses of the workplace and the stresses of modern family life are significant enough in their own right which means that balancing the demands of work and home is more important now than it ever has been. These are the issues that today's conference hopes to address through providing practical and emotional support."

Sarah Jackson, chief executive of the leading work-life balance organisation - Parents at Work - will open the conference outlining the policies and new thinking being endorsed by their agency.

Other speakers include Hylda Chuchuk from the Shearings Hotel group who will provide a local employers perspective on the practicalities, costs and benefits of postive work-life balance policies and Karen Cartlon, a consultant, who amongst other things, helps businesses and individuals put together work-life balance action plans. Pauline Pitt will inject a little humour into the day with poems on the same theme.

Afternoon workshops will look at our rights and responsibilities as employees and employers and ways of reducing stress, increasing relaxation, fitness and well being.

Women@Work aims to promote training and development for women in three key areas: management, business and public life through workshops and seminars and access to training.
The event is being supported by  Highlands and Islands Enterprise and WEA.

Women@work will be running a series of seminars throughout the year including networking and communications training, a conference on negotiation and debating skills and an assertiveness and confidence building workshop. Please e-mail inverness@weascotland.org.uk or phone 01463 710577 for further information.