WE’VE CALLED TIME ON INFLEXIBLE WORKING

We are calling time on inflexible working, by giving our team the power to choose their own working hours. Introducing a more agile approach to the traditional nine-to-five, we are pioneering a new way to work.

In an industry often called out for 24-hour client demands, late night events and an expectation to always be ‘on call’, EAST VILLAGE. has made the bold move to shake things up and let the team decide their own working hours. Whether an early riser, a night owl or someone chasing that lunchtime siesta, this move sees the team live by a more flexible working environment.

Managing Director, Tara Tomes, comments:

“This move to a better way of working just felt right; we’re already an agile team when it comes adapting to client needs, but actually I want to support the team to live in a more agile way. Work/Life balance is always a challenge – and something I’ve not been great at – but it’s so important that we all find the time to have lives outside of work, as well as our thriving careers. I just don’t think you have to choose one or the other.

“There’s no rocket science here; it might only be an hour earlier or later in the day, but it can make a real difference to how productive someone is and, generally, how happy they are. It’s not going to affect our clients; my girls are the hardest working and most dedicated people I know, but this way they can captialise on their early morning creativity, have lie-ins to recouperate from a busy week, or spend more time with their children before bedtime. I just think flexible working needs to be for everyone; we’re all human and we all need to find a way to bring home the bacon but have time to enjoy it too!”

This move comes in the wake of Helen Whately’s proposed Flexible Working Bill, which she brought to Parliament last week, suggesting that employers make all roles flexible by default. When introducing her bill, she said the traditional 40-hour, five-day working week “made sense in an era of single-earner households and stay-at-home mums”, but it did not accurately reflect the reality of how people want to live and work today.

Tara adds: “The headlines – the ones that agencies like us create – are full of shocking statistics about anxiety, burnout and unfair treatment of new parents. This has to stop… we have to go back to what’s great about human nature; being understanding of each other’s circumstances and making sure that everyone is living as fulfilling a life as possible. I love my job and everything about it but I’m the first one to work too many hours and get to the point of exhaustion.

“At the end of the day, it’s all down to trust. Our team pulls together regardless and when something needs to be done, it gets done. Having slightly altered working hours certainly won’t change this and, if anything, should make #TeamEV even more efficient. Mary Portas coins it perfectly with her new book “Work Like A Woman”: we have to put kindness back into the workplace.”

The award-winning agency is based in the heart of Birmingham; specialising in PR, marketing and events for retail, leisure and hospitality brands. To see flexible working in action, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @eastvillagepr or visit eastvillageagency.com.

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