432 Part 7 employee Wellbeing reasons for concern The reasons for being concerned about employee wellbeing are as follows: Employers have a duty of care and this means adopting a socially responsible approach to looking after their people. Employers are responsible for creating a good work environment not only because it is their duty to do so but also as part of the total reward system. It is in the interests of employers to do so because this will increase the likelihood of their employees being committed to the organization and help to establish it as a `best place to work'. the work environment The work environment consists of the system of they have outside work and so reconcile the com- peting claims of work and home by meeting their own needs as well as those of their employers. The term `work­life balance' has largely replaced `family-friendly policy'. As Kodz et al (2002) explain, the principle of work­life balance is that: `There should be a balance between an individual's work and their life outside work, and that this balance should be healthy.' The concept of work­life balance is about the achievement by employees of a satisfactory equilib- rium between work and non-work activities (eg parental responsibilities and wider caring duties, as well as other activities and interests). Practical day-to-day business and related needs should be considered when organizations set about selecting the range of work­life options that should be made available to staff, whether on a collective basis (eg flexible hours) or on an individual level (eg allowing someone to work only during term time). Individual requests for a particular working arrangement generally need to be considered on a case-by-case basis, but it is important for there to be a culture that does not discourage employees from making such