Talent Centric
Can you tell us how you
work flexibly for Alexander
Mann Solutions?
I work three days a week, but flex my
time over the week to support team
and client demands – sometimes
from the London office, sometimes
from home or a client office, or in any
of Alexander Mann Solutions’ global
offices. I base myself where I need to
be, depending upon the team and client
requirements. I aim to work Mondays,
Tuesdays and Wednesdays; however, if
there is something I need to be involved
with on a Thursday or Friday, I try to
accommodate it. There is true flexibility
from both sides – mine and Alexander
Mann Solutions’. I was already working
flexibly when I joined, through the
acquisition of Talent Collective in 2014.
I started working part-time around 11
years ago; I was originally hired full-
time, but after having my first child,
I returned on a more flexible basis. I
don’t feel it has ever held me back – I
believe I’m judged on my output not my
working hours.
Why does it suit you to
work part-time?
I have a demanding family life, I
volunteer at a local school a day a week
and I try to make time for health and
wellbeing activities. The balance I have
in my personal and professional life
enables the best of both worlds.
How does working
flexibly impact your role?
I lead a global team and there are
occasions when it’s a challenge, but we
just plan well and aim to be particularly
organised regarding deadlines
and activities. My team knows I’m
accessible on non-work days and can
contact me if they want to.
Is it possible to work
flexibly at a senior level?
Yes, working flexibly shouldn’t be about
seniority, but about having the right
environment to enable you to succeed.
People should be judged on their work,
not their working pattern. Working
flexibly has not been a barrier for me
here. I have a supportive manager,
which really makes a difference. Part-
timers can bring a diversity of thought
and enable balance and focus.
Do you support team
members to work flexibly?
I have numerous team members, male
and female, who don’t work full-time,
for various reasons. I enable the team
to manage work and projects flexibly,
enabling high-performance and
fantastic results for themselves as well
as their clients.
How do you believe
flexible working is
generally perceived?
Not all companies are forward thinking.
I have friends and ex-colleagues who
constantly battle with their employers
around working patterns and locations,
plus the roles for which they are able to
apply if wishing to work flexibly. Many
“There are times
in all our careers
when we need or
want to work
flexibly, but
reduced hours
doesn’t mean
reduced
commitment”
still believe you get a less effective
colleague in a part-time employee. In
my experience, this couldn’t be further
from the truth. If more companies
encouraged and embraced flexible
working, their teams would be richer
and more diverse, and they would have
access to a larger talent pool.
Are barriers to
flexible working being
broken down?
Barriers have been broken down over
the past 10 years, but while there is now
some acceptance of women working
flexibily post-maternity leave, a stigma
remains associated with working
flexibly for non-childcare reasons –
and for men in general. With the rise
of the ‘gig economy’ and the concept of
‘total workforce’, companies will need
to embrace how people want to work or
miss out on talent.
What did being included
in timewise’s 2017 Power
Part-Time Top 50 mean
to you?
I was incredibly proud, it recognised
people across a variety of industries
who demonstrated that working flexibly
at a senior level can be achievable and
successful for employee and employer.
Why should businesses
embrace flexible working,
and for whom?
Anyone who wishes to work flexibly, for
any reason, should be able to approach
their employer. Businesses need to
question whether a role they are hiring
for could be done by job sharers, a part-
time worker or in other flexible ways.
I would love to see more professional
specialist roles advertised as part-time
rather than it always being employees
trying to negotiate permanent roles
into part-time ones. There has been a
slow-but-steady year-on-year growth
in quality flexible jobs. I would call
on businesses to step up their use of
flexible job design, to make better use of
available talent and drive productivity.
Some generations of workers have put
up with the inequality, but younger
people expect more. Gone are the days
of ‘one job in your lifetime’. Through
changes predicted for the future of
work, I think we will see more flexibility.
How can firms create a
flexible working culture?
Flexible working requires a high-trust
environment, leadership from the top
and individual accountability, which
is how Alexander Mann Solutions
operates. It’s important to demonstrate
that working less than full-time is not an
inhibitor to success. There are times in
all our careers when we need or want to
work flexibly, but reduced hours doesn’t
mean reduced commitment.
Issue 2 - 2017
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