WORKING LIFE FLEXIBLE WORKING BALANCING ACT Working while raising a family can be tough, but now firms are making it easier for parents to continue in the industry. Roxane McMeeken looks at the benefits and challenges of flexible working R osie Jones, a senior design engineer at Skelly & Couch, London, was about to hand in her notice. I loved my job, but I had a young family and we wanted to move out of our tiny flat to a house in the countryside, so quitting seemed the only option, she says. However, Skelly & Couch suggested working from home, full time. Two years (and a second baby) later, Jones, aged 35, has been able to keep her London job, while living and working at home on the farm outside Newcastle where she grew up. I cant believe how well its worked out, she says. In June 2014, it became a legal right in the UK for any employee to ask to work flexibly, and a growing number of building services firm are actively encouraging the practice. Flexible working can take a variety of forms. It could mean starting the working day earlier and leaving earlier in order to pick up children from school, or working from home, phased retirement or simply taking time off for your childs sports day. As well as supporting employees in all sorts of ways, the process can also deliver valuable business benefits, including helping firms to retain talent, and chair of WiBSE, the organisation for women building services engineers. She says a company demonstrating that it is open to flexible working will also attract talent: When candidates are choosing an employer, they dont only look at salary, and flexible working is increasingly something that employees expect. Davis adds that it can facilitate succession planning. It can give someone younger the chance to fill in some hours for a more senior member of staff, which will prepare them for stepping into their shoes full time. Its a way of bringing agility to the workforce. Flexible working can also help make employees more creative, argues Florence Lam FCIBSE FSLL, director of lighting at Arup: Its important to have other interests besides work, and being exposed to other influences can inspire you in your work whether those influences are your family, the community or even an advanced yoga class. Lam previously worked part-time, which gave her the opportunity to be a school governor. She says: As well as contributing to my local community, I gained experience in how these types of governing bodies make decisions, Rosie Jones home office in the country Rosie Jones and daughter Cora eOR RMadE The RIBA Award-winning theatre, arts and music teaching accommodation she designed for Lady Eleanor Holles School, Hampton THE MALE PERSPECTIVE Mary-Anns project St Jamess Market Mary-Ann Clarke with her two sons which has helped me with my role at Arup. Agreeing that a member of staff can work flexibly often entails trusting them especially if it means working from home. So should employers worry about this being abused? Possibly, says Lam, but that sort of person could be failing to do what theyre supposed to do while in the office, nine to five, anyway. I think a responsible employee will always meet deadlines, and forwardthinking firms dont mind when they eOR RMadE THE MALE PERSPECTIVE The male perspective Jason Richards MCIBSE, aged 43, building services technical director at WSP, was given the option to purchase additional leave, which enables him to have a four-day working week to help him cope with his disability, following a spinal cord injury. He also works from home if required. This arrangement has been in place for 18 months. which is particularly important during the current skills shortage. But there are also potential pitfalls for both employers and employees to watch out for. Flexible working has also helped Mary-Ann Clarke MCIBSE principle engineer, building services, at Aecom combine having two children with her career. Clarke says: Its really important to spend time with your kids, so even before I got pregnant, I thought I would probably have to leave my job to have children. But it seemed such a shame. I have a mechanical engineering degree and I love my job. Instead, Aecom agreed that Clarke could work four days a week, including a shorter day on Friday, making up the lost hours in the evenings. While enabling firms to hang onto valued staff in the shorter term, flexible working may also inspire much soughtafter long-term loyalty. Clarke says: Aecom has been amazing and I feel very committed to my job. Jones adds: I feel incredibly valued, which makes me feel extremely loyal and want to give even more to the job. Sarah Davis is managing director of Skills4Stem, a skills and succession planning consultancy, and the founder He says: Having this flexibility is vital as it allows me to take some additional rest when it is required to help me stay healthy and avoid illness. My flexible work arrangement means I suffer less from the usual ailments and fatigue associated with spinal cord injuries, so WSP does not suffer from unpredictable sick leave, and my clients have assured continuity and delivery. Richards said he had to make adjustments in his lifestyle, and was concerned about being seen as just part-time and how this may affect his career progression. However, it was essential I made the changes for my own health and didnt worry about how others may react. I have proved that the flexibility has not prevented me from doing my job to my full potential, and instead have found smarter ways of working. Indeed, I was promoted to technical director earlier this year. Sometimes, Richards find himself working additional hours under pressure from workload and deadlines, particularly where bids and tenders are concerned. But he regulates this by taking time in lieu to minimise any impact from the longer hours. He adds: My current flexible working arrangements provide me with a better balance than working full-time. There is a fine line between work-life balance and affordability; you have to try to balance your work, health and finances the best you can and WSP is helping support me with this, while still enabling my career to flourish. Being exposed to other inuences can inspire you in your work whether those inuences are your family, the community or even a yoga class Florence Lam work, as long as they get things done. Another potential problem could be employees not being available when needed. However, Lam says that a team-based approach ensures that members of staff can cover for each other. For employees, though, could opting to work flexibly damage their careers? Clarke says there is a risk of being seen as someone who is just part-time, which she worries could mean missing out on promotions or the best projects. But she says this can be tackled. You need to prove youre working just as hard as everyone else. If Ive been working at home until late, I do tend to let people know. Related to this, though, is that in your effort to prove yourself, you could end up working extra hours. She says: I admit that in the evenings, I sometimes do work more hours than Im paid for. On the other hand, Clarke advises making the most of time away from work. Remember that youre not getting paid on your day off, so use the time wisely. I try to pack in as many activities as I can with my boys, whether its swimming, horse-riding or reading. I dont even have time to check my emails!. CJ THE MALE PERSPECTIVE Ben Meek, aged 34, is a project manager at SCS, specialist M&E contractor providing solutions for BMS, smoke ventilation and passive ventilation. He is also the SCS regional manager for Bristol and the South West. Meek relocated from Cardiff to north-east Somerset two and a half years ago, and has worked remotely from his home office ever since. He divides his time between home working, site visits and meeting customers, but visits head office once a month. He says: Home working has really helped me cultivate a stable family routine away from work. My daughter, Giulia, is 13 months old and I can collect her from nursery most evenings. I also find that without the daily commute and the usual distractions of working in a busy office I am more efficient and get through a larger quantity of project tasks. This allows me the luxury of the occasional lunchtime visit to the gym. I find this a great way to de-stress and refocus my thoughts before the afternoon. Meek says this arrangement is also beneficial to SCS because he is closer to customers. I am managing a large student accommodation development in Bath city centre and I can be onsite within 20 minutes. I believe this was a large incentive for my customer to appoint us in place of a competitors based further away. He adds: I do have to make an extra effort to speak to the other engineers regularly to ensure I am kept in the loop regarding changes in our standard products, installation practices and Building Regulation requirements. Meek says it can be easy to slip into the habit of working late into the evening, but now he has the responsibility of collecting his daughter every evening, he has a natural cut-off. I am grateful for the daddy-daughter time I have with her. Meek says: I really enjoy my current routine; I have a varied week with travelling and focused, uninterrupted office time. I am able to watch my daughter develop and grow. THE MALE PERSPECTIVE Tariq Al Khaldi, aged 24, graduate mechanical engineer at Mott MacDonald. Al Khaldi is currently studying for a Master of Science (MSc) in built environment: environmental design and engineering at University College London. He works 8.5 hours four days a week, and the remaining half day is funded by his divisions training budget. He says: It has been beneficial because I am able to take information from my Masters to help me in work and vice versa, which puts me in a good position when it comes to completing coursework and exams. If I come across any content that is challenging, the senior members of my team can provide me with guidance and support. I have benefitted from leaving university with a Bachelor of Engineering instead of staying for another year to complete my Masters because I have had 18 months of experience working directly in the sector. Upon completing my part-time MSc I will have had three years experience and obtained a qualification specific to my role. Al Khaldi says funding graduates allows Mott MacDonald to be fully confident in the intellectual ability of their new-starters. It also helps put graduates on track to reaching chartered status, while gaining the relevant experience that goes towards the core competencies. He says the only challenge is completing coursework in the evenings after coming home from work, which can be tiring. I havent missed out on any projects or promotions. If anything the knowledge I am gaining from doing a masters will put me in a better position when project teams are being put together. He adds: I definitely have a good work-life balance. I play semi-professional rugby every weekend representing Lebanon internationally and go to the gym most mornings. Mott MacDonald is very supportive of its staff and making sure they have as many opportunities as possible to enjoy their social lives. "