Receiving the 2017 Whitehorse Excellence in Business Micro Sole Trader Business Award at the Vogue Ballroom, East Burwood, on 13 October 2017 was the highlight of four years of dedicating Business Transformation Solutions (BTS) to the development and trialing of a life work model that can be a starting point in the quest to addressing the issue of unemployment and underemployment in Australia.

The ABS media release on 14 September states that “The trend unemployment rate in Australia remained at 5.6 per cent in August 2017, and the labour force participation rate increased to 65.2 per cent, the highest it has been since April 2012.

The quarterly trend underemployment rate remained steady at 8.7 per cent over the quarter to August 2017 from a revised figure for May 2017 quarter”.

There is no doubt that the era of full-time work is on the decline. Technological displacement of workers will continue at an unabated rate, and will exponentially rise in the years to come.

The discussion on work life balance continues to preoccupy the minds of many, but with fewer workers on the books, and contracting on the rise, those left in full-time work see work life balance as a distant utopia that is receding as time goes by.

Those without work or in part-time work spend an inordinate amount of time applying for jobs and getting rejected. This leads to loss of confidence, and generally a decline in health when the future looks bleak. Life is not in balance without meaningful work.

It was within this context that BTS was created. Whilst there has been a lot of discussion on post work eras, and the need for work life balance, to date, there has not been any model that has been proposed.

BTS created such a model- the Earning, Learning and Giving Prosperity model (3+1+1=10) and the Director has been leading the way in making life work balance a reality as well as discussing the model with other entrepreneurs and inter-generational personnel and fine tuning it along the way.

This model will not be for all and arguably may be for those who have been in managerial roles or have an entrepreneurial streak within them.

It can be tweaked to suit ones stage in life, or financial position, or otherwise, but is a start in tackling the future of work- now.

The key to the model is seeing that one is not dependent on government support and enables one to pursue the things and multiple careers that appeal to individuals.

It enables the spark of work and life to continue well beyond restructures, age, or other personal challenges.

Awards such as the one just received, makes the journey that much more exciting and gives one the energy and drive to continue to work on models that will lead to the future models of life and work.

Further details on the Earning, Learning and Giving Prosperity model are in the website:

www. climpacheco1.com