Employer Stories:
4 new types of flex on hours bring benefits for onsite workers at Ochil View Housing Association.
Employer Stories:
4 new types of flex on hours bring benefits for onsite workers at Ochil View Housing Association.
Type of employer
Ochil View Housing Association employs 30 staff and manages social housing in Clackmannanshire and West Fife.
Motivation for greater flex
The team largely work from Ochil View’s office in Alloa, which is open to the public, and the organisation wanted to explore types of flexible working that could still be done mainly on-site. Staff were encouraged to suggest ideas for change, and four different ways of working were identified.
Flexibility Works support
We supported Ochil to monitor and evaluate a eight-month trial of their new ways of working, which started in September 2024. They introduced:
- Compressed 9-day fortnight
- Compressed 4-day week
- Extended working hours – 7am to 7pm
- Early finish at 3pm on Fridays
We designed a survey to gather staff feedback on the new ways of working, and provided an evaluation including recommendations for longer-term flexible working arrangements.
We also developed a second survey with a broader focus on the flexible working culture at Ochil View, and the impact flexibility has when it comes to recruitment and retention. We then shared our findings and recommendations for a long-term flexible working strategy with Ochil View’s CEO, who in turn shared our report with the housing association’s board of directors. We’re delighted to hear the board has now approved a permanent shift in working arrangements incorporating all four new ways of working.
Impact
CEO Anne Smith said: “Our flexible working trial was really popular with staff. The feedback has been very positive, and everyone wanted the new ways of working to continue.
“Equally, there was no downturn in service, and we’ve had no negative feedback from tenants. The only difference for tenants is that our office closes a little earlier on Fridays, which we know from our data is a very quiet time anyway.
“We always want to do our best for our staff, whilst maintaining an efficient and effective service to our tenants and other service users, and we can see from our trial that greater flexibility is improving wellbeing and giving staff more time to support their families. It’s also helping them feel more productive when they’re at work. This is all good for us, and for our tenants. Happier staff will do a better job, and greater flexibility is definitely making them happier.
What greater flex means for employees
More focus and less rush with a 9-day fortnight for Marian
Marian Kelley, a senior housing services officer, now works a 9-day fortnight by compressing her hours.
She said: “I take every second Monday off and use the time to catch up on chores, run errands and go to appointments. It means my weekends are less rushed and suits my family life much better. It’s bittersweet because my mother died just before we changed our working patterns. If she’d still been alive, I’d have been able to spend more time caring for her, which would have been so valuable.
“I also really like the fact that my working pattern is flexible. I don’t have to do the 9-day fortnight. If something comes up and I can’t manage the longer days at work, I can work Mondays as normal. I appreciate the fact there isn’t pressure to always fit into a 9-day fortnight if that’s going to be difficult.
“I still have the same workload, and work the same number of hours, but the prospect of a long weekend is a great incentive to clear everything beforehand. I definitely feel more focused at work. And I definitely want to keep working this way. I don’t think I could go back now.”
Sleepovers with Nanny, thanks to compressed 4-day week for Tara
Tara Hamilton, an assistant property services officer, now works a compressed 4-day week by starting her days earlier.
She said: “Our previous way of working meant we couldn’t start before 8am. But I’m an early bird, so I love the fact I can start at 7/7.30am. I’m up and alert, and it means I get a good chunk of work done before the phones start ringing at 9am. It feels more efficient, and the earlier starts mean I get Fridays off.
“Every other week I now pick up my five-year-old grandson from school and he comes to my house for a sleepover. He loves a play at the park and a pepperoni pizza for tea. It’s become our little tradition. It gives my daughter a break too because she doesn’t have to do the school run. We could have done sleepovers before but it would have been a rush. This way, I just get to enjoy it.
“I feel like I have much more time for myself now. When you’re working a normal week, you end up spending so much of your weekend doing housework, the washing, ironing, and the food shop, and then you’re back to work again. Now I get some chill time, just for me, or I can do some gardening, or get ahead on the house chores so I can do more fun things at the weekend. I definitely feel I have a better work life balance.”
What greater flex means for employees
More focus and less rush with a 9-day fortnight for Marian
Marian Kelley, a senior housing services officer, now works a 9-day fortnight by compressing her hours.
She said: “I take every second Monday off and use the time to catch up on chores, run errands and go to appointments. It means my weekends are less rushed and suits my family life much better. It’s bittersweet because my mother died just before we changed our working patterns. If she’d still been alive, I’d have been able to spend more time caring for her, which would have been so valuable.
“I also really like the fact that my working pattern is flexible. I don’t have to do the 9-day fortnight. If something comes up and I can’t manage the longer days at work, I can work Mondays as normal. I appreciate the fact there isn’t pressure to always fit into a 9-day fortnight if that’s going to be difficult.
“I still have the same workload, and work the same number of hours, but the prospect of a long weekend is a great incentive to clear everything beforehand. I definitely feel more focused at work. And I definitely want to keep working this way. I don’t think I could go back now.”
Sleepovers with Nanny, thanks to compressed 4-day week for Tara
Tara Hamilton, an assistant property services officer, now works a compressed 4-day week by starting her days earlier.
She said: “Our previous way of working meant we couldn’t start before 8am. But I’m an early bird, so I love the fact I can start at 7/7.30am. I’m up and alert, and it means I get a good chunk of work done before the phones start ringing at 9am. It feels more efficient, and the earlier starts mean I get Fridays off.
“Every other week I now pick up my five-year-old grandson from school and he comes to my house for a sleepover. He loves a play at the park and a pepperoni pizza for tea. It’s become our little tradition. It gives my daughter a break too because she doesn’t have to do the school run. We could have done sleepovers before but it would have been a rush. This way, I just get to enjoy it.
“I feel like I have much more time for myself now. When you’re working a normal week, you end up spending so much of your weekend doing housework, the washing, ironing, and the food shop, and then you’re back to work again. Now I get some chill time, just for me, or I can do some gardening, or get ahead on the house chores so I can do more fun things at the weekend. I definitely feel I have a better work life balance.”