MICHELIN STARRED RESTAURANT REDUCING BURNOUT THROUGH FLEXIBLE WORKING
21212 is Edinburgh’s only Michelin starred restaurant with rooms, and is becoming equally well-known for its innovative approach to working. Professional kitchens are stressful, high pressure environments, and drug, alcohol and mental health issues are all too common. It’s for this reason that 21212 Edinburgh’s co-owner and chef, Paul Kitching, has decided to operate on a four day working week. His staff will be paid the same as they were before the change, but will have an extra day each week to socialise, exercise, spend time with family and friends and, ultimately, enjoy a better work-life balance. Paul believes this will give his team the brain-space to be more creative and encourage a new generation of chefs to enter the industry.
SEARCH MARKETING AGENCY BUCKING THE LONG HOURS TREND WITH A FLEXIBLE CULTURE
Propellernet is a Brighton-based, globally operating, search marketing agency, made up of 50% women and 50% men, which champions both flexible working and flexible hiring. Instead of a standard 9am to 5.30pm day, staff work the core hours of 10am to 4pm, and then choose when and where to spend the other two and a half. This frees them up to attend sports days, have a run before work or do whatever makes them happy. Non-client-facing staff are empowered to work 100% flexibly, with one team member now based in New York. Additionally, 40% of the team work part time, and recruitment starts from the position that every role can be carried out in a flexible way. 98% of staff would recommend working at Propellernet and their staff turnover rate is just 7% (industry average 30%).
RESEARCH AGENCY DECREASING PRESSURE ON STAFF BY OVERHAULING THE WORKING WEEK
Founded in 2012, The Mix is a research agency with a focus on understanding human behaviour. It was this focus that made owner and founder Tash Walker acutely aware of the pressure felt by staff and clients to balance their workload with the rest of their lives. Tash therefore took the decision to move the agency to a four day working week, giving staff every Friday off whilst keeping them on full pay. Figures from the first year of this new arrangement suggest that revenues are up by 57%, client numbers up by 100% and staff absences down by 75%. Tash and her colleagues have subsequently produced a white paper, Four – What is it Good For?, to share what they did, how they did it and why it’s proved successful with other forward-looking organisations.
