18 Months of ‘Working From Anywhere’ - Here’s How our Employees Have Found It

The global pandemic kickstarted a new era in workplace culture. Remote working became the norm, which changed the way we work and communicate, in turn amplifying the value we put on our work-life balance.

After seeing the benefits of remote working for both team members and the business, Formpipe introduced an official ‘work from anywhere’ (WFA) policy 18 months ago. It provides employees with the freedom to work from wherever suits their personal needs. This could involve working 100% from home, 100% from the office, or anywhere in between.

The aim was to provide our people with more flexibility, more control over their work-life balance, and increased overall happiness. A year and a half on, how have Formpipe employees found the transition and what benefits has a WFA policy had on their work and personal lives? We share the stories of seven Formpipers below…

“I only used to spend 72 hours per week at home… now the balance between work and life is just right” 

Nathan Gould - Lasernet Consultant

My background is in consultancy, so I would generally always work on-site with customers. The last place I worked, for example, required me to be away from Sunday to Thursday, meaning I would only have 72 hours per week at home.

The first thing I noticed when we switched to ‘work from anywhere’ was how much extra time I had. I can live my life and work when I need to, rather than working all the time and living my life when I have free time. I’m also a lot more productive. I’m treated as a trusted, responsible adult, so I behave like one.

It can be more difficult to build relationships between teams, but Formpipe has addressed this by organising regular social events and encouraging cross-collaboration between different units.

Now, I would never go back to working away for 4 days at a time! I’m even working from Italy for a month this winter. Where would you prefer to be  - Sheffield or the South of Italy? I think the South of Italy is the winner…

“It’s had such a positive impact… I’m more productive and motivated”

Charlie Cotton - Delivery Manager

I’d say that (working from anywhere) has had such a positive impact. I now have complete control over my work-life balance. When I want to go into the office or see people face-to-face, I can - but I can also enjoy the comfort of working from home.

For me, I go a bit loopy working from home five days a week, so I love that I can go into the office as much as I feel like it. At the moment I do three days at home and two days in the office. From a social perspective, we still have regular get-togethers. We went bowling a couple of weeks ago and always find ways to connect.

The world has changed, especially in the tech industry, and we’re at a time when all companies should be allowing some level of remote-working flexibility.

“Working from home allows me to better focus on my own tasks and projects”

Brosk Menmi - Consulting Manager

One of the main things (that WFA) has given me is more sleep! I used to wake up at 4:30 am to be able to beat the traffic and get into work for 6 am. Then the commute back would always make me get home late, so I’d have to rush to try and fit in the gym. Now I can sleep in later and look after my physical health.  I’ve also just got a new puppy so I’m able to spend more time at home with him which is really useful and allows me to train him properly.

From a work perspective, I have a really broad role, and I find working from the office very distracting at times. I’m involved in many projects so lots of people ask for my advice when I’m in the office. Working from home allows me to better focus on my own tasks and projects.

“The WFA policy has been great not just for the freedom it gives me but also for my personal mental health”

Harley Britcher- Digital Content Creator

When I moved to a small town with few transport links, I knew it would be difficult to find work in the media production/ content creation field. I was pretty happy doing freelance work for a while, but I knew that I wanted to move into something full-time eventually. This became more apparent when the lockdown hit.

I was very pleased to find that Formpipe was so flexible with their work. The WFA policy has been great, not just for the freedom it gives me but also for my personal mental health. Everyone has their off days, but the trust my managers put in me makes everything just that little bit easier.

I also love having the option to come in and see my colleagues when I want to. I think that as most days are WFH, it makes those office days where everyone is in the office connecting and catching up all the more special.

“The big positive for me is not losing 10+ hours a week on a commute that was dead time”

Mel Donaldson- Information Security Manager

I absolutely love working from home. I joined Formpipe after COVID so I can’t comment on the initial transition, but as I joined it seemed seamless to collect my laptop and start working remotely.

The big positive for me is not losing two or more hours a day (10+ hours a week) on a commute that was dead time. I was either on a train or in a car where I couldn’t do anything productive. Now, I can use that time as I choose - catch up on housework, take a little longer to have breakfast with my daughter, and get extra work done. This frees up my weekends and allows me to have quality time with my daughter.

Without the option to be mainly home-based, I wouldn’t have been able to work for such a fantastic company with so many brilliant people. I initially told the recruitment company that while I was interested in the role, the commute was too much. When they told me it was home-based, I applied immediately. It opened up my options of working somewhere further away because I wouldn’t need to travel each day.

"It gives us the freedom and trust to manage our work-life balance more effectively"

Carole McKallip – Contracts Manager

Formpipe's WFA policy is truly one of the best, most forward-thinking, and inclusive policies they've adopted. It gives us the freedom and trust to manage our work-life balance more effectively, and it's been a huge help in reducing the stress and time spent on daily commutes. Though I sometimes work longer hours at home because I'm so engrossed in my tasks, the positives definitely outweigh any negatives!

Whenever I discuss Formpipe with others, this policy always grabs their attention, sparks conversation, and usually ends with them saying, "I wish my workplace were as positive and flexible as that." I think the WFA policy will not only attract new employees but also retain existing staff who might be considering a move.

This policy is quite revolutionary in that it gives trust back to employees to perform their roles productively, without dictating where they should do it, thus removing many stress points.

"There's always a welcoming hub where we can gather together"

Mallorie De Riggi – Marketing Lead – North America

For me, my work environment transformed (like most of us) in March 2020 with the start of the pandemic. While working from home has its pros and cons depending on individual circumstances, I've grown to embrace it, though I understand it might not suit everyone.

For our North American team, the WFA policy takes on a different meaning. Although we work from home most of the time, it is great to know that when we're on the road visiting colleagues in other offices, there's always a welcoming hub where we can gather together.

Even if the daily foot traffic is not always high, having office spaces available provides a valuable option, which is a key component of the WFA concept for the entire company, fostering flexibility and inclusivity.

“It’s been a real positive in terms of recruiting people as it allows us to widen the net”

Kathryn Taylor - HR Manager

As the HR Manager, I’ve had really positive feedback about the ‘work from anywhere’ policy. It allows people to do the things they wouldn’t usually get to do, like take an extended holiday and work while overseas. It’s also great at giving families more time with their kids and reducing the commuting time for those who live further away.

I personally work better from the office, so I come in four days a week and I’m able to help a family member on the fifth day. I like that whether you prefer being office-based or home-based, you feel equally supported by the business.

It’s also been a real positive in terms of recruiting new people, we can cast the net wider and have more options by not being stuck to one area. We can look at candidates living outside of the towns our offices are based in (Cambridge and Nottingham), giving us a larger range of high-quality candidates.

We still work hard to maintain social connections - we have pizza days, golf days, bowling, and conferences overseas like the one we hosted in Mallorca last year. It’s a policy that works for everyone.

“It’s brought global teams closer together and eliminated a siloed regional focus”

Staffan Hugemark - Private Sector Business Director

I never used to be able to work from home and always said I couldn’t do it, but during isolation in COVID, I quickly realised how much easier it was to focus and get things done. Usually, in the office, I’d get distracted into things that might not have been a priority, meaning I ended up doing the work I needed to do in the evenings. Now, there is far less of that.

WFA has really been great for the entire business. We are a global team broken up into different countries, different sectors and different products; and before we started working from home we had quite a siloed regional focus. But now, teams have been brought closer together, breaking up the ‘local’ feel and enabling collaboration.

Our cloud team for example is made up of three people in the UK, one in the US and two in Sweden, but they are able to virtually meet and chat every day. The entire company went on a trip to Mallorca last year and it involved so many people meeting face-to-face for the first time, yet it felt like they already knew each other!

On a personal level, I used to spend a lot of time travelling. I still travel to the UK regularly but I now have a much better work-life balance and yet it doesn’t impact productivity.

Our employee satisfaction scores are now higher than ever. I don't see the ‘work from anywhere’ policy going anywhere anytime soon!

Interested in joining our world-class team at Formpipe? Check out our current vacancies today.