Flexible working is often framed as a modern workplace benefit – a ‘perk’ on job adverts to entice candidates into applying. But increasingly, it’s becoming clear that flexibility is something far more fundamental: a necessity that contributes to a positive work environment.
Traditional 9-5 structures were built around a narrow model of how life works, but talent doesn’t live within a single rhythm. People manage different energy levels, commuting schedules, caring responsibilities, health conditions, and ways of thinking.
When working structures are rigid, they can unintentionally exclude capable, high-performing individuals who simply can’t operate within one fixed pattern.
Studies from CIPD have shown that flexible working makes employees more engaged and improves performance by 20%, and it can help reduce absence rates by prioritising health and wellbeing. So it has become obvious that flexibility isn’t just a ‘nice to have’, but a way to widen access: an inclusion strategy.
Our Flexible Working Policies
Flexibility works best when it is structured, intentional, and built on trust. Here at The SEO Works, we offer a number of flexible working initiatives for our employees:
Work From Home
As a hybrid workplace, we believe working from home can offer more flexibility to our staff’s working patterns, so all of our employees can choose to work at home for up to three days per week.
Beyond saving time on a commute, it allows for sensory control for those who might find the office to be overstimulating. Being able to control lighting, noise levels, and temperature for three days a week allows for focused “deep work” that an open-plan office sometimes hinders.
Flexitime
Employees can choose to work flexibly on any given day, as long as they work the length of their contracted day and are available during core hours (10am – 4pm, excluding time for a lunchbreak).
We believe that providing a flexible working arrangement acknowledges that energy isn’t linear, and while some may peak at 8am, others may hit their stride at 3pm.
By focusing on core hours, we ensure collaboration happens when it’s needed, while giving people the autonomy to manage their life outside of work, like school runs, medical appointments, or exercising while the sun is out.
Early Finish Fridays
This policy allows staff to manage their contracted hours from Monday to Thursday to finish earlier on the Friday of the same week. This started out as a trial last summer, and everyone loved it so much that we’ve kept it on as a permanent initiative!
This is a great way to protect against cognitive fatigue, as it helps protect the weekend, allows the team to transition into their personal lives earlier, and reducing the ‘Sunday Scaries’.
Duvet Day
Traditional sick days often require a physical symptom, but mental health doesn’t always work that way. That’s why we also offer every employee a duvet day, allowing them to take time off without providing the standard notice like with annual leave.
They do not need to give a specific reason for their request, and if preferred, can be split into half days. It acknowledges that sometimes life is overwhelming, or sleep was impossible, or simply a last-minute break is needed to prevent burnout.
Work From Anywhere
Our employees can also work for up to 5 days in a one-week block from anywhere, so long as advance approval is obtained and they work their normal daily hours based on the UK’s time zone.
Many of our talented team members have families in different parts of the UK or abroad, so this policy means they don’t have to choose between using their annual leave to see family or staying at their desk.
Why We Offer These Policies
These policies recognise that productivity is not measured by rigid schedules alone, and that we need to move away from the idea that an employee has to ‘fit’ the job, instead of a job fitting around a human life.
While not all of the policies are mandatory, we believe that giving our employees the autonomy to structure their weeks in this way helps them feel trusted and helps them complete their work in a way that is accessible to them.
Flexibility as Accessibility
For many, flexibility at work isn’t just about convenience, but about sustainability.
Structured autonomy can support those managing chronic or fluctuating health conditions, parents or carers balancing responsibilities beyond work, neurodivergent employees who focus better at different times of the day, and those managing mental health conditions who benefit from reduced commuting times.
It’s also not all about those with traditional needs: much like a ramp helps both a wheelchair user and a parent with a pram, flexible work creates a ‘universal design’ for the workplace. When we build for those with the most barriers, we create a better experience for the whole team.
Inclusion is also not only about who is hired, but also the conditions created once people arrive. When the workplace creates space for different working rhythms, they broaden the doorway to talent. When they don’t, they risk filtering out people who could otherwise thrive.
The Wider Cultural Impact
Flexible working supports more than individual wellbeing, as it shapes overall organisational culture. It helps reduce burnout, creates safety, and increases engagement, which can all lead to improved retention.
Here’s what our employees have to say about our flexible working culture:
“Before joining The SEO Works, I was freelancing for five years, and in that time, I met many other freelancers who said that being self-employed felt like their only option. They were juggling care responsibilities or chronic illnesses where a rigid 9-5 didn’t work for them, so they created a work environment of their own.
While there are benefits to freelancing, it’s not for everyone, and I feel lucky to have found The SEO Works and their flexible approach to working. I think if more workplaces offered these policies, it would create better working conditions for more people.”
– Ella Nobre Wachter, Senior SEO Account Executive
“The early Friday finishes are so great for getting outdoors – something that I’m incredibly passionate about the benefits of doing. This is particularly important in the winter months, when dark evenings can really limit people’s ability to get out and exercise safely.
Finishing at lunchtime means that at least once a week, I have time to enjoy the outdoors in daylight, which is a game-changer for health through the winter, both mentally and physically.”
– Alex Vince-Myers, Head of Marketing
“The flexi-time policy here at The SEO Works is super important to me and plays a huge part in my work -life balance. Personally, I prefer working the earlier hours of 8-4 pm, as this has meant two things.
1. I am able to share a lift into work with my partner, which saves us time and money.
2. It means I can balance my athletics with my working hours. Last year, I won an important competition, and the company’s flexi-time policy directly contributed to this, as it allowed me to get to training on time. A standard 9-5 pm job would have meant this was much more stressful and difficult.”
– Indigo Johnson, Marketing Executive
“Having the choice to have a lie-in or finish early is super handy, as it means less stress if I want to do something exciting straight after work or have a late night in the week.
Being able to choose what days I work in the office is also really appreciated, as I can get more life admin (mostly cleaning and laundry, thrilling I know!) done on days when I work from home. It’s also useful to be able to work from home on days when I need to knuckle down and focus, and be in the office when there’s a meeting that’s better in person.”
– Natalie Mills, Senior Account Manager
When employees feel trusted to manage their time, they often rise to that trust. Flexibility communicates professionalism, respect, and belief in people’s ability to deliver.
Performance and Recognition
Flexible working doesn’t mean compromising on standards either. If anything, it reinforces them, as evidenced by 73% of LinkedIn users who felt more productive working from home.
And we have the proof: over the past several years, The SEO Works has been recognised as one of the leading search marketing agencies in the UK and Europe.
Our achievements include Best Use of Search (B2C) at the UK Search Awards, Integrated Search Agency of the Year at the Global Agency Awards, and our recognition as a Google Premier Partner, placing the agency in the top 3% of agencies globally.
These accolades reflect the dedication, expertise, and performance of our teams. They also demonstrate that a flexible working culture doesn’t hinder productivity, but supports it to a high standard.
Looking Ahead at the Workplace Landscape
As workplaces continue to evolve, flexibility is becoming less about trend and more about equity. Life does not follow one schedule, and energy levels don’t peak at identical hours for everyone. So the more adaptable an organisation becomes, the more inclusive it can be.
Seeing flexible working as beyond a perk, it becomes a practical way to remove unnecessary barriers and create an environment where more people can succeed.
Hi! I’m Ben, CEO of The SEO Works
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