The festive period is often a time of reflection. As December rolls around, we're sometimes haunted by the ghosts of Christmasses past. Of years when the office was festooned with tinsel and the wistful tones of Mariah Carey echoed around the departmental kitchen. This can go either way, of course. You might feel a touch of nostalgia for the years when reindeer sweaters were de rigueur at your Friday morning accounts meeting. You may, on the other hand, shudder at the memory of an office Christmas lunch of lukewarm turkey and soggy sprouts. Either way, this time of year has a habit of focussing the mind on the issue of RTO - the "Return To The Office".
What makes a good leader? How much impact do our senior managers really have on our day-to-day experience of work? And is the movement towards equality and flexibility for all really dependent on great chiefs?
In an attempt to smooth the path of our friends in the 9-2-3 community, we've put together some top tips to help you to return to work with confidence, and bag the best flexible jobs on the market in 2024. Read on for more details...
Ah, September. Month of blustery mornings. Of afternoons where the leaves crunch satisfyingly under your feet. Of endless confusion about the day on which PE kit is required. Don't you just love it?
We can't help but feel a flutter of excitement at this time of year. Possibly it's because of the sudden silence at home, or the reduced demands for snacks and screen time. Maybe you're celebrating the excuse to dig out cosy sweaters and to retreat inside with a book. Or perhaps it's the fact that the air is just that touch fresher, the colours that fraction richer. Everyone I pass is walking with a little bit more purpose in their steps. However old we are, as the new academic year rolls around, I think we all feel a little more driven - that it's time to set ourselves some new goals, and that we finally have the bandwidth and the space to achieve them.
Here at 9-2-3, we often talk about the challenges of balancing childcare with careers. Of how flexible working can help people with disabilities to access the workplace. About how flex can help older employees extend their working lives. But there's another group of employees out there whose place in the world of work is also increasingly under threat…
Matt is a stay-at-home Dad, or how he better describes it, a full-time toddler valet to Finch, his three year old daughter. Prior to this, Matt was a full-time subeditor at a news website and tells us why being able to stay-at-home was the best decision for his family, the benefits of this and how flexible working is key to a better work/life juggle.
My name is Patrick Alleyne and I am not a stay at home dad but very much employed in a busy and demanding role. I work flexibly but not for family/caring reasons unless caring for yourself and looking after your own wellbeing counts? I work for London regional government and my organisation is hugely supporting of flexible working.
Hi, my name's Phil and I work as a Senior Project Officer for the Greater London Authority and have done for 20 years. Yes, really! I have a partner and a lovely daughter who is 7. We live in the Home Counties and due to being able to work flexibly, I am able to balance the commute to work in London with some work from home days and this suits me because I can be there to do the school run and take my daughter to after-school activities.
Hi I’m Jonathan. I currently work two days a week as a change consultant in Local Government and spend two days on a small online retail start-up which I launched with a friend of 25 years in March of this year called Ctrl and Shift. I am the primary carer of my two youngest children, Dylan (6) who is in Y1 at school and Catherine (2) who is in nursery. I also have a 13 year old son, Benjamin.
