In this post, we wanted to explore the importance of work-life balance and what we do to enhance it for all our team members.
IN THIS ARTICLE...
What is Work-Life Balance?
Wikipedia’s definition of work-life balance is “The term used to describe the balance that an individual needs between time allocated for work and other aspects of life. Areas of life other than work-life can be, but not limited to personal interests, family and social or leisure activities.”
There are hundreds of articles all over the Internet that speak to work-life balance and the description of what it means in different organizations can vary immensely. Working the traditional 9-5 is very rare. This is partly due to the devices we all own, and how easy it is to be contacted.
Switching off can be difficult when it’s so easy to connect. This has had a part to play in companies expecting us to be “available” whenever needed. The other factor of not working the traditional 9-5, is how we live our lives outside of work.
Team Intellek are pleased our CEO is not Elon Musk, from Tesla!
What Intellek Does to Enhance Work-Life Balance
Here at Intellek, we pride ourselves on our culture and our terrific group of top-notch gurus’! We don’t have anyone that works 9am – 5pm Monday – Friday, in any one office.
Some team members work from home 1-2 days a week, and some work from home all the time. Some of the team works 7am – 4pm, others work 8am – 6pm and then half day on a Friday.
Of course, this helps to support our global Client Family Members, but it’s more than that. Our CEO, Claire Revell, understands the benefits of flexible working hours and giving us the option to work remotely.
Claire says:
“I recently asked the team to complete a performance review on me as a CEO, but also on their role at Intellek. One of the important questions for me to ask was ‘On a scale of 1 – 10, how happy are you working here, and how valued do you feel?’.
Everyone scored a 9 or a 10, I’m very pleased to share!
The pressure of an increasingly demanding work culture is perhaps the biggest and most pressing challenge to the mental health of the general population. An unhealthy work-life balance can affect all aspects of your life.
Work should be an extension of our life, not the other way around. Family is important, and it shouldn’t have to be a logistical nightmare to get the kids to and from school. Parents should be able to attend school plays, sports activities, or take time for themselves.
Why insist the team should sit in hours of traffic commuting when they can work from home? From experience I know quiet days at home can often be more productive!
I have a great team, they work hard, and they understand my vision. Offering flexible working hours and remote working, just makes sense to me.”
How Our Team Feels About Our Approach
Two team members shared what they appreciate about Intellek’s approach to work-life balance, and showing their employees they are valued:
Guille Casanova – Software Developer
Guille Casanova, one of our Software Developers, and originally from Spain, is excited about the birth of his second child this summer.
His wife, Ana, is a nurse and has certification exams that she must complete this year. The exam has to be taken in Spain in May and will be too close to her delivery date for them to return to the UK. Guille spoke with management and they are more than happy for him to work remotely from Spain, for the next 3 months.
Guille will be able to be with Ana for the duration of her certification timeframe, have support from his Spanish family and celebrate the birth of his second child, with no worries about job security.
Guille shared:
“My family is the most important thing in my life and Intellek has built bridges instead of barriers between my job and my family. You cannot find this everywhere. I have no doubt Intellek is the best company ever!”
Sam Malpass – Software Developer
Sam Malpass, our newest addition to the Software Development team, comes with two decades of knowledge and a very solid background in Art, Design & Software Development, to name a few.
Sam believes that creative code and big data are the “future” and Intellek’s ideology matches his overall ambition and caters to his slightly unique lifestyle as a UK firefighter!
Over 60% of all UK firefighters are ‘on call’ and they cover over 90% of the country’s area. Being an On-Call Firefighter means that while he isn’t a full-time employee at the station he does have a pager that alerts him to respond to the local Fire Station when there is an emergency. Sam also attends regular courses and competency training sessions.
Sam shared:
“Intellek has enabled me to continue to support my local community as an On-Call firefighter by allowing me to work from home remotely a few days each week, where I can respond to my local Fire Station within 5 minutes and attend incidents.
This flexibility and understanding among employers in the UK is highly regarded by our emergency services and me!
I am grateful that Intellek enables me to enjoy a life of creativity and problem-solving skills, whether they’re being applied to a web-based app or whilst running into a burning building… what’s not to love?!”
Joining Our Happy Team
We hope you have a great work-life balance and would love to hear about your experiences. If not… you could take a look at our careers page to find out what current vacancies are available to join our happy team!
Intellek (formerly TutorPro) is a founding member of the learning technology industry. With a presence in the USA, UK, Canada, and the EU – for over 30 years we have pioneered the development of cutting-edge eLearning software and online training solutions, with a large and diverse portfolio of international clientele.
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