We all lead different lives – so why should we be on the same work schedule?
The short answer, we shouldn’t. And at Ciphr, we aren’t. What we care most about is getting a job done right and making sure our employees are enjoying the work-life balance they deserve. If those two things are happening, we’re happy campers.
So what does flexible working mean at Ciphr? How do we approach it? And, perhaps most importantly – what do our employees think about it? All these questions and more, answered below.
What does flexible working mean?
Flexible working is all about accommodating employees’ individual needs and improving their work-life balance – while, of course, staying productive. (Which shouldn’t be too difficult – studies show that flexible working boosts productivity and motivation.) It gives people more control over when, where and how they work.
Common types of flexible working include part-time work (working fewer hours than a full-time schedule), remote working (aka working from home) and flexitime (choosing your start and end time, as long as you’re around during core hours).
We’ve got loads more to say on flexible working – check it out.
How do we approach flexible working here at Ciphr?
Like this:
- We work with our employees – if someone wants to put in a request for flexible working, we’re more than happy to hear them out and come up with a solution that works for everyone
- Our people team is super supportive – they’re a go-to for both employees and managers looking to navigate everything from flexi contracts to questions about policies
- It’s all online – all documents and L&D materials are available through our HR system, including onboarding, eLearning and flexible working policies
- We’re inclusive – we take both on-site and remote employees into consideration when planning social events and clubs
- We embrace hybrid working – we communicate in a way that’s accessible for all employees. For example, all company-wide meetings are hosted online and recorded
The future of work is hybrid
This year, we made a lot (and we mean a lot) of changes for the better. A new brand. A new office. And, of course, new ways of working. We already had hybrid working in place – but we wanted to make it that much better.
So we put in place a more structured approach to get folks collaborating in person, while still reaping the benefits of working from home. It's all about boosting communication, productivity and keeping our team's wellbeing in check.
Office attendance requirements are role dependent. To make things easy, we categorised each job into one of three hybrid working groups:
- Remote/field-based – these people work remotely with periodic office or team meeting attendance, or meeting with customers as necessary. This is applicable to roles where office attendance could hinder productivity. Or to anyone who lives a considerable distance from the office
- Flexi – people in this group work primarily remote with regular office attendance, usually in the form of a monthly team anchor day. Their time in the office is focused on collaboration, social engagement and training
- Office hybrid – for these people, there is a set number of days at home and in the office each week, with a weekly anchor day. This is ideal for roles that benefit most from peer-led knowledge sharing
And, of course, no matter the working group, it goes without saying our employees can come to the office as often as they like!
Here’s what our head of people experience Karen Lough has to say about our hybrid working policy:
"Post-Covid, we, like many other organisations, found ourselves in a position where our original workforce had adopted hybrid working in many different guises. At the same time, we had capitalised on the new era of remote working by recruiting talent from across the UK, rather than our local area. This meant our working patterns and practices were disparate and informal – we needed to streamline. And so, we deployed three distinct hybrid working classifications.
“We supported the move to these classifications with financial compensation where needed (to ensure no employee was incurring new expenses by having to be in the office more frequently) and with wider review of hybrid working and collaboration practices. This included a desk and meeting room booking app, enhanced 'ways of working' training and a new 'work from anywhere’ policy, which allows an employee to work abroad for up to four weeks in a tax year. Having a shiny new office certainly helped encourage people back into the office too!
“All this means we have managed to streamline our ways of working to support employees regardless of where and how they work, all with flexibility and wellbeing in mind. It's still early days but we're already starting to see evidence that the changes are valued by our people, in the form of both verbatim and more measurable feedback, such as our employee engagement survey."
What our employees have to say about our flexible working policies
We asked the people are Ciphr, what does flexible working mean to you? This is what they said:
“Working outside the traditional 9-to-5 schedule has transformed my work-life balance in incredible ways”
“Working outside the traditional 9-to-5 schedule has transformed my work-life balance in incredible ways. It has provided me with the flexibility to be fully present with my family and actively participate in my child's life. The mental health benefits are significant, allowing me to manage appointments and life admin without the constant rush. Many people feel there aren't enough hours in the day, but flexible working truly helps bridge that gap.”
- Sophie Hellmuth, learning and development advisor
“In being fully remote, I get to do my most authentic work that I know will make a difference”
“‘Work-life balance’ means very little in 2024. ‘Work-life integration’ on the other hand is exactly why I'm able to bring the best version of myself to work every day.
“I work fully remote – mostly for the fact that a one-way commute to the office would be, at best, four hours. But in being fully remote, I get to do my most authentic work that I know will make a difference to Ciphr. It's a win-win. By trusting me to manage my day, my energy and my deliverables, I get to do more, better.
“If I need focus time? No problem: I’ll set my status to 'do not disturb'. Need to pop a load of laundry on? No problem: I’ll grab some coffee while I'm at it. I can't make the morning meeting because I need to take an important call at the same time? No problem: my team will catch me up.
“Creative roles take a lot of energy, so not needing to dedicate every second of every hour to work, I get the space I need to think outside the box and make sure I'm looking after myself and my family. I think flexible and remote working is the only real solution to work-life integration.”
- Bev Da Silva, SEO and content manager
“Having the choice to WFH or from the office has been a positive experience for me”
“Having the choice to work from home or from the office has been a positive experience for me, since I get to choose which days I’m in the office and which I work from home. This has allowed me to help with the morning school runs on WFH days, and facilitate collaborative working when I go into the office.
“These positive benefits also apply to my team, helping them balance their professional responsibilities with personal commitments.”
- Neil Brooks, portfolio manager
“I wouldn’t be able to juggle all my commitments outside of work without flexible hours and the support of my team”
"When I was planning my return from maternity leave, I knew I didn't want to return to work full-time. I approached Ciphr with the idea of compressing my hours, to work around 4.5 days' worth of time in just 4 days. After a short trial period, it was implemented permanently – simple as that. Having the company's support to work flexibly made it so much easier to return to work, and stay here.
“My twins are now nearly four years old now. I wouldn't be able to juggle all my commitments outside of work – whether that's dropping them at childcare, keeping on top of endless piles of laundry, or finding time to exercise – without flexible hours and the support of my team, who know that there is more to life than just work. That supportive atmosphere makes all the difference: it helps me to perform well, and focus on building my career here."
- Cathryn Newbery, head of content marketing
We’re here to help you empower your flexible workers
Flexible working isn’t going anywhere. So make sure your policies are in place – and make sure your employees can access them easily. How, you ask? Through the right HR software, of course.
It’ll help with everything from a streamlined onboarding process and making a successful flexible working request to simply having all the information they need in one place. Which means fewer queries coming through to your people team. Which means more time to focus on tasks that add value to your organisation. Which means a happier workforce!
Download our brochure or request a product demo to learn more.