News

Providing inspiration for a better work-life balance

Carl Fillery, CEO of Boundless (formerly CSMA Club), discusses the increasing financial and time pressures placed upon public sector workers and the importance of reclaiming your free time.

A healthy public sector is essential for a healthy UK economy, but in recent times public sector employees have found themselves at the brunt of deep cuts in public spending as the government tries to balance the books after one of the worst recessions in decades.  

Whilst politicians and commentators argue about the best strategy to achieve deficit reduction, it is public sector workers throughout the UK that are being squeezed. 

Our own research found that only 25% of public sector staff feel they are adequately paid and, most alarmingly, 69% of public sector workers feel less valued than they did in 2006. 

For many people working in the public sector it is not simply about financial reward; people chose to work in the public sector for altruistic reasons. They decided to become a nurse, policeman, teacher or work for the council because they want to help people and improve society – 61% of public sector workers we surveyed agreed with this, and by virtue of wanting to do good they want to feel valued.  

However, as the rights, benefits and support networks of public sector workers continue to be eroded, it does the opposite; it leaves employees feeling less valued and this affects staff morale and, in turn, productivity. 

Free time is another area where public sector workers are feeling squeezed. Over half of those surveyed stated that they are expected to work longer hours than they were five years ago. 

More than a quarter of public sector workers said they were unable to spend quality time with family during the week, and 50% of public sector workers didn’t see week nights as an opportunity to socialise. 

This does paint quite a gloomy picture, but it is in this climate that an organisation such as Boundless has a role to play. We want to help public sector workers make the most of their free time, which in turn can improve their work-life balance and even improve their wellbeing.   

Our research found that 41% of public sector employees surveyed said their salary doesn’t cover the cost of living plus the leisure activities they want to do outside of work. 

It is this audience we want to support. We have worked hard to curate a range of experiences, unique deals and perks that we know our existing 250,000 members, as well as potential new members, will not only enjoy, but will provide value for money and in most cases will get them outdoors and active. 

As part of the rebrand to Boundless we talked a lot internally about life being about experiences, creating memories and not about accumulating possessions. This has been central to the DNA of the organisation for nearly 100 years. Our new Boundless proposition focuses on the adventurous spirit of members that launched the CSMA in the 1920s. We want to inspire our members to feel that there don’t have to be any boundaries on how to enjoy their free time. 

We will continue to engage our members through our popular magazine, but increasingly our digital platforms will be where members go to find ideas on getting more out of their free time, and we want to encourage them to share their own experiences and inspirations with other members.  

For employers, we offer group memberships as a cost-effective way to boost the employee benefits package and people engagement. Our research showed that this was highly valued, with 62% of public sector employees saying they felt it was important that their employer provided good benefits. 

We are very excited about the future and feel that as an organisation we are as relevant to the public sector today as we have ever been.

Here’s a taste of the experiences available through Boundless: 

• Elton John at Blenheim Palace
• Great British Beer Festival
• Beautiful the Musical
• VIP Italian F1 experience at Mercedes Benz World
• Kempton Races
• Cholmondeley Power and Speed
• Kinks Sunny Afternoon
• Eastbourne Airbourne
• Celtic Quest Coasteering
• Formula 1 GP

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Corporate deal – For information on how Boundless can support employers please contact Michael Sawyer on: 01273 744668 

To find out more about how Boundless can help you to make the most of your spare time: 

T: 0800 66 99 44

W: www.boundless.co.uk