A few days ago, the UK government published its response to a public consultation it held in late 2021 on changes to flexible working laws.
Now, the outputs of so many UK government consultations end their days languishing in a Whitehall black hole with no prospect of ever informing public discussion, that
“Government publishes response to public consultation”
could be the news in itself for involvement and consultation anoraks like us. But this time there’s more to it.
The consultation response stood out for us. Flexible working is so much a part of our way of working at Stand and we wouldn’t be Stand without it.
We want talented people to want to work with us. Whether they are in our amazing staff team or one of our fabulous freelancers, we want them to be able to bring their best to work every day.
Few people naturally have the kind of work-shaped hole in their lives that the wise and inimitable Dolly Parton immortalised in her iconic 1981 tune 9 to 5. And even if they did, our brains all work best at different times.
The government’s response to its consultation got us talking about what flexible working means for each of us at Stand.
The most common theme was our appreciation of the time flexible working gives us for our families, and for our parenting and caring responsibilities.
“I can work around the school runs and be able to go to school events.”
“I know there is no judgement when I need to step away for a break, or pick the kids up from school.”
“I can respond to family needs, knowing this is recognised as important by the people I work with.”
We recognised that we all work best at different times:
“It gives me the chance to work when I work best, meaning I get the best out of work and our clients get the best out of me.”
“When I need to concentrate on producing something, I work best in the evening when there are no distractions.”
“I can work at times when I can give my best.”
“I’m an early riser and work best first thing in the morning. I get loads done and avoid disturbing others by scheduling emails to send later.”
We talked about the benefits it brings to our wellbeing:
“In these dark winter days, working flexibly allows me to get outside during the day to enjoy the light and the air, which I love.”
“I have a healthy work-life balance which makes me happy.”
“It keeps me healthier mentally and physically.”
And we talked about how it motivates us:
“Flexibility at work motivates me and makes me more productive.”
“Working flexibly helps us appreciate and trust each other more – we all give 100%, whatever work pattern we’re working to.”
“I love the respect and absolute support for people’s non-working time.”
So perhaps if Dolly were to rewrite her song four decades on, it might go something like this:
Working flex-ib-ly
That’s the way to make a livin’
Time for fam-i-ly
There’s some takin’ and some givin’
Helps you use your mind
When it’s fresh and activated
It’s the way to keep you
Sharp and motivated
(Or perhaps not, we know Dolly would do a better job!)
We’re a small team with a strong set of shared values, so maybe these things are easy for us. We value flexibility as a core strength. And our clients tell us they value it in our approach.
Everyone at Stand – the people in our staff team, the expert freelancers who work with us, and our directors – all fit their work around their life.
We know we can always improve, so if you have ideas or experiences of flexible working that you’d like to share with us, please leave a comment.
And if you’re a public involvement and communications professional, or experienced in service change, and you might be looking for a more flexible approach to work, why not look us up?
Thanks to Bukky, Gail, Alison, Pippa, Caroline, Siân, Michelle, Karen and Paul for sharing their thoughts with us for this piece.
Blog by: Paul Parsons
