A Message from the COO,
Mark Saunders
I'm sure that many of you have attended some of our Special Interest Group (SIG) zoom meetings. I am always impressed by the technical skills shared amongst our members and of course the breadth of knowledge, experience and professional ability that exists throughout Integra.
At a recent meeting of the Human Resources SIG the subject of flexible working was discussed. This SIG has a reputation for being a very open discussion forum and the attendees have a great willingness to share with everybody.
It is clear that flexible working is still a very important part of the current work environment for most of our members. However, I did detect some changes. Some of our members are now dictating to the staff that they must spend at least two or three days in the office during every week. This is often encouraged by holding team meetings and planning meetings on specific days and with other forms of encouragement such as providing refreshments.
Obviously, there are certain staff members and certain departments who have a greater need to be together in the office more often - this is particularly relevant for the tax team for instance during tax return season.
Flexible working is something which is often foremost in the minds of potential employees at the recruitment stage. Many of our members make it clear to recruits that flexible working is a privilege and not a right and therefore standards of work must be maintained at the highest level when they're not supervised in the office environment. It is also clear that the first few weeks of any employment need to be spent in the office environment as appropriate to familiarise the new employee with the firm and its methodology.
In brief although it was clear that some firms still have a very open policy others are exhibiting a determination to get their people back into the office more often than has been the case in the past. I would love to hear other feedback on this subject and look forward to meeting you all at a SIG very soon.
I have booked my flights to Panama and am looking forward to meeting members new and old there! Remember there is a very low-cost early bird offer for those who book quickly. Do not miss out!
