Farewell to the "family-friendly" policy. The way for companies to gain a competitive edge these days is to pursue an inclusive "work-life strategy".

The problem is that family-friendly policies, seen to benefit one group of employees, such as mothers of young children, often end up being marginalised, according to a study by the Industrial Society in Britain.

"Much better is an approach which says that work-life balance is an issue for everyone," says Ms Lucy Daniels, co-author of the new guide, The Work-Life Manual.

The study says uptake of family-friendly options such as shortened working weeks or job-shares has been slow, even in leading organisations.

"Few large organisations are mainstreaming these issues successfully and very few medium or small businesses look beyond the minimum statutory requirements," she says.

Yet demands for a better balance between work and outside life are increasing as surveys show that more employees feel pressured to work long hours and the 24-hour society demands ever greater flexibility.

These demands are not confined to one country. A recent study by Gemini Consulting found that workers in different countries rated work-life balance as one of their three key working priorities.

The guide, produced by the Work-Life Research Centre and based on research in Europe and the US and discussions with personnel experts, sets out steps to ensure that policies become more than mere window-dressing.

As well as maternity and paternity leave, such policies could include offering study leave or additional holiday to all employees in lieu of benefits such as company cars or life insurance.

Not that every worker wants a life outside work.

"About a third of long-hours workers love them, but two-thirds feel obliged to work them," says Ms Daniels.

The long-hours culture remains a serious obstacle to implementing a work-life strategy. "A tension exists between organisational policies that are presented as being `family-friendly' and cultural practices that assume that committed workers work long hours."

A supportive culture can be fostered by leaders who encourage innovative ways of working and challenge resistance to them.

A clear link must also be established between work-life policies and core business objectives.

The guide warns against introducing a work-life strategy as a new programme, saying many organisations are suffering from "initiative overload".

It suggests using existing routes, such as policies to boost recruitment and retention or to ease the process of change following a merger or restructuring.

US research shows that the return on investment in work-life policies, in the form of greater staff commitment or productivity, depends crucially on the control employees have over their work time, the trust placed in them, and the quality of services on offer, such as child care.

But employees must also be responsible and flexible themselves - agreeing to come to work on a non-working day if there is a crisis, for example. Some employees have not come to terms with such give-and-take.

The benefits of a successful work-life strategy can be significant, as Andersen Consulting has found.

Long hours and constant travel under pressure were causing experienced people to leave. In 1998, it established a "global retention taskforce" which drew up guidelines to help employees achieve a better balance.

"The results have been outstanding, contributing to better performance levels and a reduction in attrition rates and savings on recruitment and training costs," says the guide.

WORK-LIFE policies have evolved through four stages, according to a US study. Initially they focus on child care and women's issues, then they broaden to include recruiting and retaining staff.

The third stage involves a change in culture, recognising that all staff have work-life concerns.

Finally, ways of working are redesigned to meet business and employees' goals.

"The most difficult shift is between stages two and three," says Ms Daniels. "This evolving process may take a different form in a UK context.

"Nevertheless, the need to move beyond policies to address . . . the norms and values which govern attitudes and behaviour in organisations is now increasingly recognised."

While the US has wide experience of such policies, the long-hours culture remains prevalent. Ms Daniels believes the UK has advantages over the US because its small geographical size means government, researchers and employers can work closely on initiatives, reinforcing the message and promoting best practice more swiftly.

The UK also has a large female workforce in part-time work, which may have encouraged more flexible work practices compared to countries like France and Italy, where women tend to work full-time.

Continental European trade unions have also opposed greater flexibility, she says.

The manual provides a framework for action which the authors believe is suitable for companies of any size in any country. It sets out six areas where action is needed.

The guide also contains checklists for managers and employees to estimate the costs of having a poor work-life balance and to measure progress in improving it.

"It [the guide] has bags of statistics and evidence to scare the living daylights out of board members," says Ms Daniels.