AN East Lancashire employer has been selected to show the way to the rest of the country in helping staff to achieve a work life balance.

The Shuttleworth Veterinary Group, based in Rossendale, is being held up as an example by Investors in People UK as it launches a new set of guidelines for how companies can help employees balance their work and personal lives.

The 18 staff at the company meet for an hour each week to discuss issues surrounding their personal and work lives and solve problems, to ensure they all understand each other's individual needs.

The company has also adopted a policy of cross-training so adequate cover can always be arranged at short notice, giving staff more flexibility.

It was chosen as an example of best practice by Business Link, which administers Investors in People in Lancashire, to help draw up national guidelines on how companies can create and implement a work life balance plan.

Practice owner Sue Shuttleworth said: "We deal with worried and distressed customers every day and to handle them professionally we need to work seamlessly as a team and employees need a high level of job satisfaction.

"It's essential to give our employees a certain amount of choice and control over their role. One of our team is going on maternity leave soon and rather than employing a replacement, we have given our staff a budget and empowered them to decide how their colleague's absence should be covered.

"Everyone benefits from having a good balance between the workplace and home. Our employees have more flexibility and job satisfaction, we benefit from a more productive workforce and customers get a welcoming and attentive service."

Business Link chief executive Clive Memmott said: "Employers such as the Shuttleworth Veterinary Group that have a flexible plan in place benefit from happier and more motivated staff. This helps organisations to improve the way they do business and establish a more attractive place to work."