Your Flexible Working Options

A Flexible Format to Suit Your Needs

If you’re thinking about changing your working pattern, you could start by taking a look at some of our recent examples of part time and flexible working jobs. But firstly, there are a number of options to think about, which might fit your requirements. Here are three factors to bear in mind:

Hours	Working Pattern	Location
How many hours a week do you want to work?	When do you want to (or can you) work during the week?	How far do you want to travel to an office location – or can you work from home?

Think about two things: what you’d LIKE to do and what you may HAVE to do. For example, school drop off/pick up may restrict the hours you can work each day, and the distance from home (or the school) you can work. But millions of people make it work successfully for them so there’s probably an option or two that works for you.

Here’s a list of the most frequently used part-time and flexible formats that we see at our part-time recruitment agency. Ideally, have more than one in mind that might work but either way, understand the fixed personal or family commitments you have:

Format	Example
Part-time week	3 full days per week, 9.00am to 5.30pm	If circumstances allow, many people like to work several full-days to ‘get their teeth into the job’
Part-time days	Reduced daily hours, 5 days per week e.g. 9.00am-3.00pm	Perfect when you have school drop off and pick up commitments
Job-share	Sharing a role between two people, e.g. split 3 days and 2 days per week	Ideal when the employer requires full-time hours but the incumbent wants to move to part-time
Nine-day fortnight	Working full days but 9 days instead of 10 over a fortnight	Offers some time off every fortnight but allows you to commit to ‘virtual full-time’
Condensed hours	Full-time hours condensed into four longer days	Allows you to work full-time hours and get full-time salary with time off every week
Staggered Hours	Full-time hours over different times, i.e. 7am-3pm	Great when you want to drop off or pick up – or avoid the commuting rush
Short term/medium term contracts	To cover specific fixed term projects or roles	When you’ve got skills that are needed in blocks. Can be worked full or part-time
Working from home	Some or all of the role can be worked from home	When jobs can be worked remotely – not all can so consider part of the week from home if you’re keen
Local job – Zero / Reduced travel	Full-time working but employee saves many commuting hours per week through working locally	Full-time but might save up to 10 hours a week commuting – can be life-changing
Freelance	Offering your service or skills by the hour/day/project	Offers variety and flexibility for people with creative skills like designers and writers

Be Flexible in Your Approach

Here at our flexible and part-time recruitment agency, we find that many candidates have a particular working format and ideal number of working hours in mind. However, if your other commitments allow some flexibility, it’s always good to keep an open mind:

1. Before applying for a role, consider the amount of flexibility you have in your working week. It’s good to have some flexibility in mind when looking at job adverts; and it also helps when you contact a flexible and part-time recruitment agency like ours.
2. When applying for a role, think through how the days and hours required by the employer might work for you and if you can adjust your initial thoughts on working hours. Don’t compromise if you have real practical restrictions but there’s often a discussion about how an ideal candidate and an ideal employer could work together.
3. We often find that people adjust their working hours or patterns once they’ve settled into a job to make it work more effectively for everyone. Don’t be afraid to suggest improvements.
4. Understand how your ‘capacity’ could change in the future – members often increase their hours over time, particularly where it’s a new role or if it starts with just a few weekly hours – so know if you will be able to increase them in the future.

Making it Work

Once you’ve found your ideal part-time or flexible role, you have to make it work for you and your employer. Here’s a few tips from Ten2Two members that found jobs through our flexible and part-time recruitment agency:

“Being part-time and needing to leave promptly means being very organised in work all the time. I work solidly for the hours that I am in the office and I think it is important to be and be seen to be on top of my work at all times.”
Jenny Baker-Hirst, Finance Director

“Always keep in perspective what is important and urgent at work so that you are really achieving the necessary stuff, and letting the things which aren’t going to change the world go. ”
Vicky Woods, Merchandise Director

“It’s important to have a very strong and trusting relationship with your manager so there are no doubts about what is expected of you.”
Sheena Coster, HR and Organisation Manager

“Communication, communication, communication – flexible hours will mean you might miss days or parts of the day – make sure your colleagues keep you up to speed with what’s happening – and if not don’t be afraid to ask!”
Kate Hardy, Administration Manager

Remember, it might be the first time your new employer or client is working with a flexible worker so you may need to be very deliberate in how you organise, communicate and review your progress!

Seeking Flexibility in Your Current Role?

You might not looking for our flexible and part-time recruitment agency to help you right now. If you’re already working full-time and you’re keen to stay with your employer, you can request flexible working in your current role. The regulations changed in June 2014 so here are a couple of places you can check out the process:

ACAS always provide solid, up to date guidance. You’ll find guidance on making a request and a copy of the code of practice employers should follow when handling a request

GOV.CO.UK provides a simple step by step process for requesting flexible working.

“Lord’s Taverners used Ten2Two for the first time towards the end of 2022 to recruit a new position of Trustee Board and Governance Administration Officer. Our experience with Jo was excellent. She understood the brief and was able to identify some excellent candidates for interview. The process was seamless and efficient, an excellent experience. We would recommend using Ten2Two for flexible recruitment needs. The position was filled with an excellent candidate, who has hit the ground running! Thank you Jo and the team at Ten2Two.”

Gabby Shirley, Director of People and Organisational Development

Lord's Taverners

“All your candidates seem of a high calibre. I’m so pleased with how you all put this together and felt like I wanted to give the job to everyone who came to interview!”

Elliott

Shootmedia

“Having worked with several recruitment companies in the past, I found Ten2Two’s approach to be recognisably different in terms of their partnership approach, high levels of responsiveness and superior customer service that they provided. What’s more they achieved a result in the tight timescales provided. I have no hesitation in recommending Ten2Two for your recruitment requirements.”

Jeff Benveniste, Founding Partner

Global Edge, Watford

We have been kept in the loop on the recruitment process, had great candidates and successfully recruited a new team member. As a growing company, we will be going back to the team at Ten2Two for more skilled staff in the future.

Dean Rochester

Target Maintenance GB Ltd

The quality of candidates was exceptional and every one was worth the time we spent interviewing them. In both instances we were left with a difficult but enviable choice. The two new members of staff have made an immediate impact on the business and are a perfect fit with our company culture and ambition. I can’t recommend Ten2Two enough for the service they provided.

A growing IT company

I can’t believe it’s been over 2 months since Latoya started with us and she’s been fabulous! She’s a really quick learner and has settled into the role very well. She’s great to work with and gets on well with other members of staff. A great flexible worker .

Jackie

James Glancy Design Ltd

I needed experienced people with diverse skills but didn’t need them every day at this stage of the companies development. Using freelancers and contractors supplied by Ten2Two has enabled me to win new clients and grow.

Rosie Seldon

Director E-wavelength

The service Ten2Two provided us, from writing our job description, screening, interviewing and then delivering handpicked candidates according to our brief, meant that we could focus on their skills and attributes in relation to the best fit with our team. We were amazed at the calibre and quality of all the candidates and wished we had capacity to recruit more.

Liz Caselton, Finance Director

Ticketmedia

Ten2Two helped our business recruit for three positions across three departments, delivering strong professionals with the required skill sets. I have recommended them to several other people and will use them again in the future. They are tapping into a highly talented and under used pool of talent.

Barnaby Oswald, Managing Director

The Local data company

Ten2Two helped me to find the right professional for our business quickly and efficiently from their talented community of professionals. My initial requirement was for a part-time book keeper but what we found was someone with a broader skill set who has also been able to help the business in various areas from finance to marketing.

Howard Redhouse

Berwick Hill Properties

I was delighted with the calibre of candidates Ten2Two Kent provided for us for our HR Manager role. The selection process was difficult but we are delighted with our new recruit who continues to add value to our practice six months on working on a full week but short days .

Victoria Sampson

Cooper Burnett

We are thrilled to have Gaynor on board and really feel confident that we chose the right candidate for the role. I think she will be an asset to the team! Thanks for your help in placing her.

Emma Wilkinson

RHG

Many thanks to Ten2Two for their support in finding the right person to fill our recent vacancy. We were very impressed with the professional service throughout, from understanding our business needs to the high quality of candidates put forward.

Colin Thompson, Managing Director

MD, MFS (Mobile Fleet Support), Luton