A set of annual awards launched seven years ago is demonstrating the positive benefits of allowing employees to work flexible and part time hours.
The Timewise Power Awards winners for 2019 have just been announced and, as the founders say, they demonstrate the art of the possible.
Among them is Srin Madipalli, a wheelchair user who works 85% full time for AirBnB and combines this with public speaking to raise disability and accessibility issues at forums including the United Nations, Rio Paralympics and the Tech Inclusion Summit.
Chris Bryant, a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, works three days a week helping clients from all sectors to prepare for Brexit, and at the same time cares for his daughter and writes for musical theatre. His work has been performed at the Edinburgh Festival and is now being developed for a nationwide tour.
Amy Haworth, a director working on an 80% contract for Deloitte, combines her working life with 60 to 80 performances a year as an international classical singer, and Joanna Munro, creative head of Fiduciary Governance at HSBC Global Asset Management, has managed to combine her three days a week working for HSBC with completing a Masters in creative writing and is now writing a crime novel.
While others have combined their flexible working with starting up a new business, developing an app or caring for relatives, what they all have in common is that the businesses they work for are able and willing to accommodate and see the benefits of allowing their employees to work flexibly.
Often their work feeds back into their work for their main employer, to the benefit of both parties.
How a willingness to accommodate flexible working could benefit your business
There is some truth to the adage that a change is as good as a rest and certainly if you want to retain key people it is important that they feel valued and fulfilled.
However, it is perhaps taking too narrow a view to assume that their focus should be only and entirely on their work for the business.
The stimulation of an outside interest, or the possibility of pursuing a related interest that is not directly within the scope of their primary role can lead to innovative ideas being brought back into your business.
Also, the success stories of the winners mentioned above can benefit your business reputation, not only by demonstrating that it is a forward-thinking company when it comes to the terms and conditions of employment but also in the additional kudos from those employees’ successes in other pursuits.
Such enlightenment can also help a business attract and retain both outstanding and highly motivated people.
Please do respond with your own stories about similar examples.