{"id":12399,"date":"2019-06-14T12:22:07","date_gmt":"2019-06-14T12:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/work.life\/?p=12399"},"modified":"2024-11-13T14:53:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-13T14:53:01","slug":"flexibility-and-trust-in-the-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/flexibility-and-trust-in-the-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"Work Happy: Flexibility and Trust in the Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Quick Links<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/flexibility-and-trust-in-the-workplace\/#WHAT_WE_LEARNED\" >WHAT WE LEARNED:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/flexibility-and-trust-in-the-workplace\/#THE_PITFALLS_OF_UNLIMITED_HOLIDAY\" >THE PITFALLS OF UNLIMITED HOLIDAY:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/flexibility-and-trust-in-the-workplace\/#i\" >\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/flexibility-and-trust-in-the-workplace\/#PANEL_DISCUSSION\" >PANEL DISCUSSION:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/flexibility-and-trust-in-the-workplace\/#WHAT_MAKES_FOR_A_FLEXIBLE_COMPANY\" >WHAT MAKES FOR A FLEXIBLE COMPANY?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/flexibility-and-trust-in-the-workplace\/#THE_RELATIONSHIP_BETWEEN_FLEXIBILITY_AND_TRUST\" >THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FLEXIBILITY AND TRUST\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/flexibility-and-trust-in-the-workplace\/#SO_HOW_FLEXIBLE_SHOULD_YOU_BE\" >SO, HOW FLEXIBLE SHOULD YOU BE?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">On 12th June, we held the fifth event in our Work Happy event series, this time honing in on the effect of trust and flexibility on the happiness of your team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">We\u2019re almost at the end of the Work Happy series, where we\u2019ve been looking for ideas, tips and insights from entrepreneurs and experts who\u2019ve made it their mission to help people find their best work-selves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">So far, we\u2019ve heard from Henry Stewart of Happy Ltd. on <a href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/work-happy-the-future-of-happiness-at-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">empowering your people<\/span><\/a> and owning up to your mistakes, Sally Lovett on how <a href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/physical-wellbeing-in-the-workplace\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">what you eat at lunch might ruin your day<\/span><\/a> (a hard one to swallow), Jodie Cariss on <a href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/work-happy-mental-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">mental health at work<\/span><\/a> and making the unsaid said, Tony McGaharan on <a href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/blog\/creating-a-positive-company-culture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">Google\u2019s secret sauce<\/span><\/a>, plus, a whole host of other clever humans on the highs and lows of engaging the future workforce. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This month, our speaker was Ben Gateley, Co-Founder and CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.charliehr.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">CharlieHR<\/span><\/a> and Co-Founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/bornsocial.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">Born Social<\/span><\/a>. Ben isn\u2019t yet 30 and has launched and nurtured two highly successful companies that are proud to put their people first.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-12405\" src=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-11-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"701\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-11-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-11-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WHAT_WE_LEARNED\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><b>WHAT WE LEARNED:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Ben started the conversation by explaining that, somewhat ironically given our topic for the evening, he fundamentally believes in <b>\u201ctelling your team what to do\u201d<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In his experience, Ben has found that too much flexibility breeds anxiety, confusion and imbalance. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Before he explained why, Ben wanted to highlight that for him, starting a business wasn\u2019t about channeling his excitement for HR systems or social media. Instead, it was about creating a workplace where people wanted to come in in the morning, <b>\u201cWe spend \u2154 of our lives in the office. I get out of bed to make Charlie[HR] a place where people want to spend that time\u201d<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">To do that, Ben has spent years pondering and trialling strategies to keep his team coming back everyday. He\u2019s found that the world\u2019s sudden preoccupation with flexible working has become overwhelming,<b> \u201cIt\u2019s on everyone\u2019s lips, but can you have too much of a good thing? From our experience you absolutely can\u201d<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">When Ben and his co-founder, Rob, founded their first business together over 10 years ago, they were inundated with questions about policies, <b>\u201cWe read all the books on amazing workplaces and thought about how we\u2019d like to be treated\u201d<\/b>. The duo settled on being as flexible as they could and decided to offer unlimited holiday, reasoning, <b>\u201cwe didn\u2019t like it when people told us what to do or put us in a box\u201d<\/b>. They kept this policy for 10 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"THE_PITFALLS_OF_UNLIMITED_HOLIDAY\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><b>THE PITFALLS OF UNLIMITED HOLIDAY:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Ben\u2019s first takeaway from a decade of offering unlimited holiday was, <b>\u201chigh performers will always be high performers\u201d<\/b>. People that go the extra mile will continue going the extra mile, even when everyone else is on holiday. Ben found that these type of employees\u2019 natural drive to work, meant it was almost impossible to get them to take enough holiday to avoid burnout, <b>\u201cthey didn\u2019t focus on looking after themselves\u201d.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-12407\" src=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-25-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"701\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-25-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-25-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-25-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">He noticed another divide in team members that had dependents and those that didn\u2019t,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span><b>\u201cpeople with families took lots of holiday because they had real reason to and so did people in relationships\u201d<\/b>. Ben also noted that people in lower paid roles took less holiday than those in more well paid positions. He saw the same divide across teams within the company. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">When he approached staff about the policy, he found a lot of anxiety surrounding it, <b>\u201cpeople were asking, \u2018So, what\u2019s the right amount?\u2019, \u2018What\u2019s too much?\u2019\u201d<\/b>. With millennials experiencing higher recorded rates of anxiety than any other generation, Ben worried that leaving annual leave open was contributing to their stress.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">People were also saving holiday to go on larger trips guilt-free, which Ben also found difficult, <b>\u201cpeople weren\u2019t taking time off for three months, that\u2019s not healthy working at the pace that we do\u201d<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Finally, Ben explained that, of course, unlimited holiday doesn\u2019t mean you can actually take as much holiday as you want, <b>\u201cYou can\u2019t even put it into a legal contract\u201d<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Last year, after a decade of offering his staff unlimited holiday, Ben set a holiday allowance of 25 days plus bank holidays and Christmas days at CharlieHR. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Ben explained, <b>\u201cI really thought it would be hard to announce &#8211; but people clapped!\u201d<\/b>. The anxiety over how many days to take and what was enough and what was too little, ended up overriding the excitement of freedom. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">CharlieHR now recommends everyone takes 5 days per quarter and Ben and the senior team have a dashboard which alerts them if anyone looks like they\u2019re off track,<b> \u201cit shows people at risk of not taking enough holiday based on where we are in the year<\/b>\u201d. A manager will then check in with the team member to make sure everything\u2019s okay. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Ben explained that now there\u2019s a restricted allowance across the company, more holidays will be taken this year than ever before. For CharlieHR this is great news, Ben is comfortable in the knowledge that across the team, there is order, balance and equality. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">For Ben, flexibility can\u2019t exist without constraints, <b>\u201cin a world of flexible, easy come, easy go working, we are obsessed with not clarifying things as much as we should\u201d<\/b>. Ben told us that clear policies work for a reason, and knowing what the rules are <b>\u201ctakes away so much of that anxiety\u201d<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-12408\" src=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-17-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"699\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-17-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-17-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 699px) 100vw, 699px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">To finish, Ben gave the crowd some tips on implementing and creating great policies:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Freedom within guidelines<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">When it comes to holidays, this means giving a number. What the number is depends on your company values. At CharlieHR, they prioritise making everyone feel respected and valued.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Put it somewhere everyone can see it<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Once it\u2019s agreed, write it down and make sure every team member can find it without having to ask. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Ask people what they want<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Does your policy make sense for your team? Ben has a young team and he takes into account the importance of holiday for wellbeing and mental health. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"i\"><\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"PANEL_DISCUSSION\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><b>PANEL DISCUSSION:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">For our panellist discussion, Ben was joined by Emily Parsons (Slack) and Sarah Sich (Work.Life), as our host, Nat, probed the trio on ways to implement flexibility in the workplace and the importance of trust.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-12410\" src=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-41-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"701\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-41-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-41-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-41-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Emily works in Workplace Operations at <a href=\"http:\/\/slack.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">Slack<\/span><\/a>, a communication platform which enables companies to connect with their colleagues and remote workers in companies around the world. Emily is passionate about making and facilitating spaces (virtual and in the real world) where people can do the best work of their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Sarah is the Head of Marketing at <a href=\"https:\/\/work.life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">Work.Life<\/span><\/a> and is passionate about workplace happiness and team engagement. Having always had a side-hustle, Sarah is an advocate for flexible working, and a strong believer that trust is the key to innovation and productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Nat kicked off by asking about the trio\u2019s experience of flexible working and what it means to them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-12412\" src=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-9-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"701\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-9-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-9-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-9-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Emily explained that at Slack, the team can work from wherever they want: <b>\u201cWe\u2019re trusted to get our work done wherever we are. We have remote workers around the world and Slack is the perfect tool for remote communication\u201d<\/b>. Emily finds that it\u2019s just as easy to get hold of remote workers as it is someone in the office, and the freedom to choose where you base yourself means the team feel valued and trusted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">At Work.Life, Sarah explained that members generally choose their coworking space based on its proximity to their home, as they\u2019re keen to avoid long commutes and unnecessary travel: <b>\u201cEveryone is different. Traditionally, flexible working was only something families required but it\u2019s not always about commitments. You might be a morning person, work better in the evenings, or at home without distractions\u201d<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Sarah says that the flexible nature of Work.Life\u2019s memberships means members can visit multiple spaces across London,<b> \u201cwe try to encourage people to roam, as a change of scenery can do wonders for creativity\u201d<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-12414\" src=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-46-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"701\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-46-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-46-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-46-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WHAT_MAKES_FOR_A_FLEXIBLE_COMPANY\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><b>WHAT MAKES FOR A FLEXIBLE COMPANY?<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">At Work.Life, the team use Slack to communicate across their UK locations. Sarah has found it to be a seriously useful tool to keep people in touch with each other and share internal communications. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">However, she acknowledges that company culture is key, <b>\u201cflexibility and communication can exist but if you don\u2019t trust that everyone on your team will do their job unless they\u2019re right in front of you, then you can&#8217;t have flexibility\u201d<\/b>. For Sarah, that means hiring the right team. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Ben agreed that technology doesn\u2019t create the working environment; company values do, <b>\u201cIf you put Slack into an extremely corporate, traditional company, it\u2019s not going to be used the way it was intended\u201d<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"THE_RELATIONSHIP_BETWEEN_FLEXIBILITY_AND_TRUST\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><b>THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FLEXIBILITY AND TRUST\u00a0<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">When it comes to applying flexible working at work, our panelists found it works best when it\u2019s embedded in a culture of openness and transparency. Ben said that at CharlieHR, some of the best policy changes have come from staff members, not management, <b>\u201cIt\u2019s key to give the opportunity for feedback at all levels, so that if someone wants change, they feel like they have the ability to make it happen\u201d<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Emily said that there\u2019s a similar openness at Slack, <b>\u201cFor us, flexibility and trust comes from keeping communication lines open. I can direct message someone from the American office and hear what\u2019s happening or I can message the CEO\u201d<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Sarah agreed, but noted that after working in very restrictive workplaces as well as more flexible ones, she\u2019s found that staff members can adopt flexible working better if they can lead by example, \u201c<b>I think it has to come from managers and go down the chain. People need to see flexibility in action at a senior level\u201d<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-12415\" src=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-38-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"701\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-38-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-38-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-38-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Ben told us that he operates on the belief that workplace trust can only come from building strong interpersonal relationships,<b> \u201crelationships where you truly know the person as an individual, not just as a staff member. You have to deeply care\u201d<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">He has found it takes longer with some people than with others but that you end up being able to be honest with each other for the better of the business, <b>\u201cyou can push and pull each other quite ferociously\u201d<\/b>. Ben explained that a culture of caring opens a channel for honest feedback that can only exist where there\u2019s trust.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Emily then told us that when face-to-face communication isn\u2019t an option, there are ways of building relationships remotely, <b>\u201cSlack have integrations like Kudos Drive and Donut where you can give feedback or chat to a randomly allocated member of the team to catch up on a personal level\u201d<\/b>. She also said that video conferencing means face-to-face communication is only a click away. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Sarah agreed that video tools are useful but believes <b>\u201cnothing can replace real interactions when it comes to building relationships\u201d<\/b>. She has also found that speaking to someone outside of the office environment can deepen that connection too. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SO_HOW_FLEXIBLE_SHOULD_YOU_BE\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><b>SO, HOW FLEXIBLE SHOULD YOU BE?\u00a0<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Ben thinks it\u2019s personal, <b>\u201cI see people evangelise a small number of companies. We read a book or go to a talk and try to follow their example, but the reality is that they were in the right place at the right time\u201d<\/b>. Ben thinks it\u2019s important to look at your specific personalities, processes and requirements to find out what\u2019s best for you, <b>\u201cnot just what works for Facebook\u201d<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-12416\" src=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-61-300x201.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"701\" height=\"470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-61-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-61-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/work.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/WorklifeHappy-61-1024x685.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">He also warns of talking about time as a unit of input or hard work,<b> \u201cYou can\u2019t compare one hour of someone\u2019s time to someone else\u2019s. We have core hours of 10-3 and outside of those hours, people can decide what they want to do\u201d<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Emily agreed that the culture of packing up and leaving on the hour isn\u2019t productive, <b>\u201cMy manager is in Dublin and he never really knows where I am. When I hire people for new offices overseas, I want to build that same level of trust\u201d<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Work.Life is focused on providing happy workspaces and we hope that this event series will help others to understand how better to promote happiness in their workplace! <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The final event in our Work Happy series, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.co.uk\/e\/work-happy-why-workplace-design-matters-tickets-62038213968?aff=erelexpmlt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">Work Happy: Why Design Matters<\/span><\/a>, takes place in our Fitzrovia space on Wednesday July 10th &#8211; where we\u2019ll be grilling experts from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nyde.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">Nyde<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drmartens.com\/uk\/en_gb\/history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\">Dr Martens<\/span><\/a>. T<\/span><span class=\"s1\">hanks to everyone who made our fifth Work Happy event so great and we hope to see you all at the next one!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 12th June, we held the fifth event in our Work Happy event series, this time honing in on the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":12418,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_type_category":[],"authors":[98],"class_list":["post-12399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-work-wellness-and-culture","authors-work-life"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Work Happy: Flexibility and Trust in the Workplace - Work.Life - Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How can you build a happy company culture at work? 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