Dance Like Nobody’s Watching
Co-ordination doesn't matter, dancing just needs to be fun!
Date: 10 March 2023 Author: Energise Me
Lots of employers offer ‘flexible’ working. But what does that actually mean? Some of our team share what it means to them and the difference our flexible culture makes to their work life balance.
Health, happiness, and movement are central to our work so looking after the wellbeing of our team is a high priority. Together, we’ve created a culture that is good for our people and our organisation.
I always get comments from people of how lucky I am to have such a flexible working arrangement.
Ruth
40% of our team are parents with school-aged children. For them, being able to start and finish work early takes the stress out of school pick-ups. Further freedom during the working day means they can also attend school shows and sports days without any worries.
We know the work still gets done and our team are happier and less stressed as a result. They don’t have to compromise their family values to meet strict work rules.
Flexible working means I always have the flexibility to pop out for the kids' school shows and sports days etc.
Helen
“Coming back to work after having had a 2.5 year career break to look after the family was always going to be daunting. The flexibility offered by Energise Me has made the work/life balance achievable and sustainable. I work 4 days a week in term time, and 2 days a week in the school holidays. This makes a huge difference. I’m also able to schedule my work time in the week around commitments so I can start work early and finish on time for school pickup on some days.
I’m trusted to work wherever is best, including working from home whenever I need to. Basically I think we’re treated as adults here – if we get the work done, we have the flexibility to choose where and when we work.”
The increased control over my time has made it easier for me to be active. As a result, my employer is now reaping the rewards of a happier, healthier, and more energised employee.
Sara
In keeping with our purpose, we make it as easy as possible for the team to be active. The freedom to go walking or cold water swimming during daylight hours makes all the difference to some of our team, particularly in the winter months.
Jake changes his day around or works from home to make weekday football games and training when the light starts to fade.
Meanwhile, Penny uses the flexibility to coach daytime walking hockey sessions to enable others to be active.
Energise Me's flexible working means that I can take a long lunch break to go swimming, change my working pattern in school holidays, and work from home whenever it's best to do so.
Emma
Our standard working week is 35 hours but this varies from person to person, with some choosing to work compressed hours.
When Sara began working from home more regularly, she became more engrossed in tasks and ended up working longer hours. The longer days suited her working style so she kept them and now has an extra day off every fortnight to enjoy a long weekend.
I can always communicate with my colleagues via email, Teams, text, phone calls, or in person in the office or meeting up in a café. Having these different ways of staying in touch is what helps us make flexible working work for us!
Emma
We recognise that all of our people are different. Making everyone work in the same way would only ever get the best out of some of them. By being flexible to the needs of our people, we aim to get the best out of the whole team. In return, they bring their best energy to work as Emma beautifully describes.
“I like to shift my working pattern to where I have most energy. I usually like to work slightly longer days on a Monday and Tuesday when I have lots of energy, and then have slightly shorter days towards the end of the week when I might be a bit more tired.” Emma
We encourage our people to think about what helps them to work most effectively. We work with them to make that possible.
Helping us tackle inactivity to boost health and happiness
