The Flexible Way To Keep Talent

By Ray Molony

Flexible working has become a familiar term in recent years since the surge of people working from home due to the effects of the pandemic. But the term actually encompasses a wide range of working opportunities, including part-time hours, flexitime and working in locations other than a fixed office.

For award-winning UK lighting design practice Michael Grubb Studio, flexible working is nothing new. The studio offered several options of flexible working to employees before it became commonplace, with many team members working part time or around school hours to suit their personal commitments and create a healthy work/life balance.

This is one of the reasons that Rachael Flint, associate at Michael Grubb Studio, was attracted to the role.

'Prior to joining Michael Grubb Studio I had been on maternity leave, so I was delighted when Michael agreed to my request of a phased return to work and ongoing part time hours.'

‘Returning to work after having a baby is a huge adjustment, and I was keen to do a phased return to ensure I could give my work 100 percent as I adjusted to my new routine. I started at two days a week and moved up to four days a week. Working part time as well as working from home enables me to keep a good work-life balance while my child is young.’

Rachael also reflected more broadly on how flexible working undoubtedly allows designers to have more control over the locations in which they work and often, their pattern of work too, which is often seen to help manage and enhance a better work-life balance.

Rachael Flint, associate at Michael Grubb Studio in the UK, wants to see more flexible working options offered within the lighting design industry.

Flexible working has been proven to reduce stress and increase overall job satisfaction as employees can schedule their work around their children, health, and other needs. It also reduces the need to commute to the office, which not only has a positive impact on wellbeing, reducing the additional stress this can cause, but is also beneficial for the environment by reducing the number of cars on the road and therefore lowering carbon emissions.

Rachael states, “The key thing with flexible working is trust from leadership, and Michael intrinsically trusts the team to get the job done. Other members of the team work part time to create a better work/life balance, and several team members work around school hours. By allowing people the space and time to conduct their work in harmony with other commitments in their life, this makes the team feel happier, valued, and empowered to do their jobs and live their lives.’

Yet flexibility in the architectural and construction sectors is notoriously difficult to come by. A 2010 study by students at Nottingham Business School found that – after interviewing a cross-section of chartered architects employed in a variety of settings – there were significant concerns over maintaining a satisfactory work-life balance within the sector. Long hours, travel and a lack of general flexibility around work were all cited as reasons why architects felt despondent in their jobs.

The AIA Compensation Survey Report 2021 recorded that 72 percent of architecture firms offered full-time or part-time remote working options in 2020, up from only 13 percent in 2019.

However, despite this significant shift in flexible working, it seems that many firms are yet to fully adapt to and embrace flexible working as standard.

Rachael adds, ‘Many of my friends have referred to my role as a ‘unicorn role’, in that it’s too good to be true. It seems almost unheard of to have this ability to work so flexibly around my child, home life and personal needs. I believe this should be offered to everybody, not just for the benefit of employees but for the benefits it ultimately offers businesses too.’

Greater flexibility in the workplace could also be the silver bullet for levelling the gender playing field in the industry. A survey by Architects Journal discovered that a larger percentage of women than men worked part time, 18 percent compared to 7 percent, and more women worked regularly from home, 60 percen of women compared to 51 percent of men.

Research released earlier this year shows that a staggering 52 percent of women in the UK workforce have stated that they have considered leaving or have left their role due to a lack of flexibility.

Rachael shares how flexible working arrangements, for both herself and her husband, have provided equality not just between gender roles but between parenthood and working roles. ‘Having a baby is a huge change for the entire family, not just a mother, with discussions around childcare and partners taking on more of a parental role on the return to work. My phased return to work made this process so much easier. Rather than it being a huge immediate change, it was instead a smoother transition.

’Working part-time allows me to enjoy motherhood without feeling conflicted about my roles between home and work. This way I can give full commitment to my role when I am working, and when I’m not I can take my child to appointments and do what I need to for my family. Flexible working has allowed me to fulfill both of those roles better, as both a mother and an employee.

‘It’s invaluable having both my husband and I working flexibly, and this creates an equality between us as we can both be available to do nursery pickups or drop-offs when the other is working away.

‘If one of us was working full-time in the office, we wouldn’t be able to do our careers in the same way we do now. Him being flexible supports my career so that I can do all aspects of my job well, and me being flexible supports his career in turn.

‘I would love to see more flexible working options offered within the lighting design industry. This is something I strongly believe will help encourage equality in the industry and wider sector.’ ■