Following on from the champions training and work life balance awareness raising activities in Denmark, particularly through meetings and follow-up discussions with the Danish champions, it has become evident that many of the topics being discussed in the workplaces around the region of South Denmark are the same. In particular two issues predominate:

The forgotten age group: Most of the benefits offered in Denmark are either for parents with children or for seniors. The large group of employees in between are the ones who do a large share of the work – and they are expected to be more flexible - without getting as many benefits or opportunities. The work and effort these people do is not always acknowledged, and employers and organisations often forget that this group of employees might have different wants and needs in order to create a work life balance.
Being too considerate: Several champions have mentioned that there is a potential for being too considerate to employees. An example was given of an organisation, where the individual's personal life was given so much consideration that it had consequences for the other staff members, e.g. there was not enough staff at work, which lead to more stress and higher sick leave. The issue here is one of balancing the needs of the whole group of employees against the needs of the individual, without ignoring either.

In general there seem to be an understanding that the Danish employment system already offers many possibilities. The challenge is getting people to use these options to prevent much of the stress and absenteeism that occur.