What’s a landline?’

That’s what my 5 year old daughter asked me yesterday. After I explained that the landline was a phone attached to my wall at home as a kid and to my desk as a working adult, she looked bemused and said ‘Why?’.

And what a question! 

There will be so much that mystifies the next generation as we move away from outdated modes of living and working. In this day and age, why would a person need to be locked to a desk with a landline phone and a desktop computer? 

Right now, it feels as though we are on the cusp of the turn of the tide when it comes to flexibility. The arguments in support of flexible work are compelling – happier employees, increased engagement and productivity, longer staff tenure and greater workplace loyalty. And when we look at our towns and cities – the ever-sprawling suburbia that decentralises CBDs and adds time and pressure to our everyday commutes, it is a no-brainer that all of us – employers, employees, town-planners – we need to reframe the way we work. There can be no doubt that we have the technology to enable the shift to a revised model of work for pretty much all people, it is most often only in our attitudes that we lag.

In the age of the employer brand, it pays to shift thinking about flexibility. The top employee brands in this country know that you shouldn’t call flexibility a “perk”, rather it is inbuilt to the culture of a company and the mode by which employees can deliver their best work. And they reap the benefits with recruiting and retaining the country’s top talent. 

We think it’s fair to say that Adland has not been leading the charge when it comes to making flexibility a reality – where balancing client service, shrinking retainers and old school mentalities has seemingly put flexibility in the ‘too hard’ basket. But there are signs of change. We at SCC Talent have witnessed an increase to in the amount of people looking to freelance in the marketing and advertising realm. Yes, this coincides with more project-based work in the space, but it also speaks to the appetite of people to do their jobs in a less rigid format – for whatever reason, some have a side business, some are part-time Instagram influencers, some are in training for a marathon and yes, some are parents. 

We hear people, often mums and dads, saying of their flexible work set ups that they are really lucky to be able to work the way they do. We are looking forward to a future where it’s no longer lucky, it just is.

We recently spoke to some of our colleagues and connections about some of the ‘best’ flexible work arrangements we know of. We have kept their responses anonymous, to get better insight to how they’ve made flexibility truly work for them. 

Enjoy!

Matt* is 37 years old and works in Sydney for a global consultancy. He recently took advantage of a flexible parental leave policy offered by his work.

How much leave did you take? 

An initial three weeks when Luke was born and then fifteen weeks towards the end of his first year.

Often policies like flexible parental leave can feel more token than real. Did you hesitate in taking the leave? Were you genuinely encouraged to use the leave?

It was relatively easy to take the leave as one block and I was encouraged to do so. The flexibility in consulting probably makes it less costly for staff to do so, i.e. it is relatively easy to move people around and replace people on leave. A number of senior staff around me have also taken paternity leave so I didn't feel pressure to do otherwise.

Was there any setback to your career in taking time off? 

It probably delayed a case for promotion. I don't think this would have been a problem if it were a year earlier/later. Mostly a timing issue and it's difficult to complain given the generosity of the leave.

What did you learn during your paternity leave? Work-related or otherwise? 

That I had underestimated the level of attention required, even for one baby. Also that, on balance, it is easier to be the one balancing work and parenting (i.e. going to the office each day) than solely parenting.

Would you recommend other dads take time off if they can? 

Of course. Obviously, that leave time equates to any number of mornings and afternoons where I would only have seen Luke briefly in the morning and evening.

Having returned to work, what is it like now? Have you managed to strike a decent work life balance? 



I've gone to four days a week since Luke started daycare which has worked well so far but it is very easy and common to end up working on that day or for longer on the other days, defeating the purpose somewhat.

Josephine* is 35 years old, a mother of two young kids and jobshares a Senior Client service position with a Sydney-based media agency. 

Tell us about your job share arrangement – how does it work each week?

My jobshare and I are Senior Client Directors at a media agency in Sydney, where we both work 3 days a week, with one day overlap. That day is essential for important meetings which we both want to attend, and also for both of us to catch up face to face. On the days we are not in the office together, we email or call at the end of the day, with detailed notes to set the other up for next day. 

What have been the benefits for you?

The main benefit has been the ability to work 3 days a week in a client facing role, which has allowed me to have more time with my young family. It also means I didn’t have to be relegated to a behind-the-scenes role as many returning mums end up doing (not by choice). On the days I’m not at work, I have complete peace of mind, knowing my jobshare is there to handle everything.

What benefits have you found in the arrangement for your clients?

Apart from the fact our client has a senior person in the office on their business the whole week (they previously only had a 3 day a week client lead), they are also able to leverage on our different background, experiences and skills that we each bring to the table. Also, my jobshare and I have not taken our holidays at the same time, so having someone in the office while the other is on leave has been an added bonus. 

It goes without saying that you need people from your company and your clients to be on-board with different working arrangements like jobsharing. Have you come across anyone who’s been less supportive of it? If so, how have you handled that? 

It’s been great - both the agency and clients have been very supportive from the get go. For a few reasons - both my jobshare and I have had long tenures at our agency so they knew how we worked as individuals and also that we would work well together. Furthermore, the clients we work on also have a jobshare arrangement, in fact, we knew it could work because these clients of ours have been successful in their jobshare for many years. 

My jobshare and I are often on the same page with the big things, and aim to get on the same page if we are not. However, we had encountered a few instances where members of our team received slightly different instructions from my jobshare and I, and were frustrated with the set up. From that we have learned to over-communicate on both big and small issues, ensuring that any instructions given is also covered off in our handovers so both of us are aligned. 

Did you have to “sell” the job share model into your agency? If yes how did you do it?



Getting the jobshare across the line with our bosses was not difficult, but once we were up and running, my jobshare and I wrote a detailed document - outlining the benefits, team structure and processes to ensure our team, clients and management were all across the the way it would work. It was a useful exercise for my jobshare and I to do and also great to have something tangible we could share. 

Jess* is 28 years old, a creative agency Account Director and a business owner on the side. 

Building your own business as a side project, how have you made flexibility work for you?

I initially started my side business as a passion project in my own time. I was working fulltime for an agency and learning so much about my client’s businesses and thought ‘why not give my own business a proper crack?!’ I decided to change agency, and in that move I changed my criteria for what I wanted a bit. I decided to freelance for a while to get more committed periods at my paid work, then more dedicated time for my business. I was also then keeping an eye out for an agency that might support a more permanent but flexible role. The role I finally landed on has been amazing! I asked to work 4 days a week for the agency, and 1 for my business, and they were happy with that. In fact, I think they liked seeing that I have things that I’m passionate about outside the agency. I’m also able to work from home as much as I like and is feasible. This gives me the freedom to work the hours I like and, without the commute, I am far more productive.

What have been the benefits for you?

I’m finding that I’m way more efficient, in both my employment and my business. I get the satisfaction and security of a permanent paid position, the benefits of an agency team and vibe, while still pursuing my own passion project. And importantly, I get my weekends back for something other than work and business!

Did you find it difficult to balance a client-facing role while working remotely and part time?

I haven’t found it difficult in this role, because this agency fully supports remote working. We have a brilliant tech set up, so I’m video-calling in to the rest of the team and the client as often as I need to. The clients I work with are fantastic and pretty forward-thinking – they literally see no difference to any other format of client/agency relationship. We do have set face to face meetings each week which helps to cement the relationship. And I come into the agency as many times as is needed for the strategy sessions or conversations that are trickier and need that hands-on sort of catch up. It took a while to build the same agency rapport as the other more traditional roles I’ve had, but we are all really close now. We have a system in place where my boss is able to handle any overflow work on my “day off”.

What advice do you have for someone looking to work flexibly?



I’d just say that they need to ask for what they want. Some agencies were not interested in making roles more flexible for me – which I understand of course - but I was surprised by how easily my current agency agreed to flexible work. And I think more and more agencies are catching up to people’s needs for non-traditional work set ups, especially in account management where it has maybe lagged behind a bit.

And I would say that flexibility goes both ways. I know that on my “day off” I’ll sometimes need to be online or on the phone for something for my job. If you accept that and roll with it (within reason), then it can really work.