Bristol-based flexible working specialist Flexology has helped Proctor + Stevenson, one of the South West’s most high-profile marketing and communications agencies, launch a new workplace culture.
Expert consultant and recruiter Kristal McNamara spent three months working with Proctors to design a flexible working system for the company’s 70 staff. 
The new culture, the result of planning at a leadership and team level, aims to improve retention and productivity at the agency, giving employees more autonomy to manage their own time and workload.
Staff will be able to set their own working hours, for example coming in early or late to improve their commute, by extending their lunch breaks or by working from home more often.
In the meantime, Flexology will work on a recruitment drive to fill available positions at Proctors with new staff attracted by the appeal of a more fluid working culture.
Having completed benchmarking as part of the consultancy programme Kristal has helped put in place measurement for the new culture’s effectiveness, including expecting financial improvements based around the attraction and retention of staff.
Monthly measurements will review and monitor the new system, with continual improvements implemented through an agile approach of quick, regular changes, if necessary.
Kristal said: “Our work with Proctors offers the perfect demonstration of the varied benefits of embedding a flexible working culture.
“We are excited to implement tangible improvements to the working life of everyone in the organisation and look forward to helping Proctors find more talented employees who can join their great teams, working flexibly and focusing on delivery for clients, rather than the hours they work.”
Based in Berkeley Square, Flexology was set up in March 2017 by Kristal and business partner Shelley Snelson.
The company has a double specialism – consulting with businesses to develop a flexible working culture and placing staff into flexible roles at a senior professional level.
Last year it achieved a 402% increase in turnover as more employers across the South West came to terms with the changing world of work and adopted more flexible working practices.
Kristal said: “Organisations across the board are recognising that those that don’t embrace a flexible mind set will fall behind others in terms of their productivity, profits and the quality of the people they recruit.
“It’s been great to work with Proctors to help them start to realise the many benefits of flexible working. Ultimately, a happy workforce is a productive one and the resulting business benefits will, we hope, be clear to see.”
Proctors was founded in 1979 by managing director Roger Proctor. In February last year it moved to a new home in Easton following a £1.5m refurbishment of a former industrial printworks.
Proctors HR manager Caroline Beardkins, pictured above, right, with Kristal McNamara, said: “Flexible working provides an opportunity for our staff to demonstrate that they can deliver what our clients need while working to less traditional working patterns.
“We are keen to place Proctors at the forefront of our industry in order to secure talent to grow our team. Flexible working will help with attraction of new staff, as well as retention of our current personnel by improving fairness, reducing travel time, providing a better work-life balance and by improving trust and loyalty.
“It’s going to take some getting used to and our employees will need some time to get into the habit of updating their calendars when they are not working regular hours.
“It is crucial that our managers are supportive and encouraging. Leading by example in this area will help ease the changes and embed a genuine, company-wide culture which benefits everyone.”
