Unlocking Work-Life Harmony: Ellie's Journey with SMART Working at RSSB

For many employees, the shift to a four-day workweek has revolutionised their ability to balance professional commitments with family time. Embracing SMART working policies has unlocked newfound freedom, enabling individuals to seamlessly integrate personal tasks, such as school runs and family lunches, into their daily routines.

Ellie shares her personal account as a parent and the transformative impact of flexible and smart working policies at RSSB.

What has flexible working at RSSB meant for you? 
Flexible working for me, means working 4 days a week. This gives me the opportunity to spend time with my young children and get things like the food shop and cleaning done without infringing on our precious family time at the weekend. 

How are you taking advantage of the smart working policy? 
SMART working allows me to take my son to school in the morning and pick him up at 3.15. SMART working allows me to take the dog for a walk at lunch time, hang a load of washing out in the middle of the day, go for a leisurely lunch with my auntie when she visits from up north and even watch my sons first nativity play without needing to take a half day of holiday. It has bettered my work-life balance considerably and to me (and my family), that is worth a huge amount. Working in the evening or early morning can sometimes be really useful, and often I see other colleagues working at this time too. SMART working allows us to work in a way that helps with our personal logistics, as well as ensuring that business needs are met.

What has it enabled you to do differently? 
It has saved me money – the ability to pick up my son from school prevents him needing to go into wrap around school care every day, saving me £15 a day. It also means he isnt as tired (or unreasonable) as he might otherwise be! It has meant that I can save my annual leave allowance to take a real break from work, and not needing to use multiple half days to accommodate appointments, nativity plays, funerals etc. 

How has the smart working changed the culture at RSSB?
People don’t clock-watch like they used too, if someone is yellow on Teams, there is an acceptance that you will get a response later.  Prior to COVID (and the SMART working policy coming into force), I worked part time and from home 1 day a week. Even though I was contractually ‘allowed’ to work this way, I always felt like I was being judged for doing so, ‘how come she is able to work form home when I can’t’ etc. This is no longer the case, and there is a general consensus that people are just as able to work remotely, as they are from the office. Presenteeism has become a thing of the past, and if anything, I am more productive as I work longer hours as I don’t need to travel 2hours each way to get into the office.

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