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Published: 8 Jun 2022

Telescope – Finalist 2022, Best Flexible Working

Telescope have implemented successful flexible working and are seeking to evolve further to build on employee engagement and continue to be a desirable employer for new talent. 

What flexibility looks like 

Telescope is ambitious in their efforts to meet the needs of their employees. Operating a core hours policy, employees have autonomy over their start and finish times. A hybrid working model was introduced in 2020 that enabled remote working for part of the week. Responding to feedback from employees, Telescope are currently trialling shorter core hours from 11:00-15:00 and no minimum number of days in the office, allowing employees to work fully remotely if they wish, with a view to making this permanent if it meets business and employee needs. The new policies are able to meet all flexibility requests and have so far generated unanimously positive feedback.  

A genuine dedication to flexible working is evident in the modelling by the management team, and the striving for further enhancements to flexible working policies based on employee and client feedback. There is recognition that the new ‘work from anywhere’ policy will have a real and valuable impact on the lives of employees with caring responsibilities.  

Workplace culture  

With flexibility as standard, Telescope promotes engagement, not presenteeism. Open dialogue about workload, work life balance and wellbeing fosters a supportive culture. There is an acknowledgement that employees need individualised solutions to meet their caring responsibilities and achieve their career goals. Regular, formalised communication channels are in place to facilitate conversation and ensure equality of opportunity. 

The business case for flexibility 

Telescope’s positive attitude towards flexibility has boosted productivity and performance, and the team share ownership of meeting business objectives. Success for Telescope is measured by feedback from staff via appraisals, client feedback and staff retention. Together with the team, a new employee value proposition has been developed, and feedback suggests that 75% of employees surveyed put most value on flexibility. Verbally, 100% of staff communicated being happy with the flexible working arrangements. Together with zero formal requests for flexible working suggests that the policies in place are doing the job.