Energy retailer Love Energy Savings is booming after giving its staff the ultimate freedom to set their own work location and working hours.
The new policy – dubbed flexible flexible – was introduced in the summer in response to the changing nature of work post pandemic.
And in the three months since, Love Energy Savings has seen its intake of new job applicants rise by 250 per cent.
More than two thirds of these new workers live more than a 12 mile radius away from Love Energy Savings’ HQ in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Before ‘flexible flexible’ that number was 79 per cent of staff living inside a 12 mile radius of the office.
The numbers of new starters leaving the business has also dropped by more than 60 per cent since the policy was introduced.
Being able to ‘flex’ when it comes to working hours and where you work from is appealing to people as they settle to new lifestyles following the disruptions of Covid.
Rosie Macdonald, from Leeds, started with Love Energy Savings last year as a Digital PR Specialist. She says: “Like so many people, I got a puppy in lockdown – a cute Red Setter called Chester – but I wouldn’t be able to look after him properly if I had a commute and regular office hours to factor in.
“It’s fantastic that I’m able to walk Chester every day during the day and get out in the fresh air. In terms of my wellbeing, I’ve massively felt the benefits.
“Work-wise too, I’m more productive, alert for longer and doing my best work. I’ve never worked anywhere like this, where you are trusted to this level to work independently. It makes me feel so loyal to the company.”
Linda Heslop has had a similar experience since joining the company in September. The Conversion Rate Optimisation Specialist says: “I live in Folkestone, Kent, so commuting to Bolton would have been a non-starter.
“Remote working never appealed to me before the pandemic and even in the early days of lockdown at my previous job, I struggled to switch off. However, it’s very different here.
“I feel as included as if I was in the office thanks to the way we work. It’s a great mix of group meetings and one to ones that allow our personalities to come across while being really clear about what we need to get done.
“I couldn’t be happier with it. I’m planning to visit the head office in Bolton before Christmas, which will be great to see people in real life and strengthen those relationships even more.”
This is the latest innovation to have had a positive impact on Love Energy Savings staff. The firm was hailed earlier in 2021 for reducing emails in favour of Instagram and WhatsApp – in a bid to engage better with its predominantly under 30 workforce.
CEO of Love Energy Savings, Phil Foster, says: “We knew that the 9-5 office routine was broken – and now we have the proof.
“Our new colleagues are working smarter, achieving the work/life balance they want and flexible flexible is here to stay.
“It suits our colleagues, it suits our customers to have access to more of our staff outside of conventional business hours, and that’s a win/win for the business.”