Flexible working works. Distinctive joins list of West of England’s top employers
One of the best things about agency life is building strong teams that support clients and each other.
Our vision at Distinctive is to be recognised as a great employer and a consultancy of choice for clients who want to make a difference.
So, it’s fantastic that our effort to provide flexible, inclusive work for colleagues is recognised alongside the West of England’s best employment practices.
We are the eighth employer to become an accredited member of the West of England Combined Authority Good Employment Charter following assessment by a panel of experts.
With members including Business West, Bristol College and Rising Arts Agency, we are the smallest
organisation to join the list.
The charter recognises employers from all sectors for their efforts across seven employment areas (detailed below) including secure and flexible work, fair pay, heallth and wellbeing, training and development, recruitment and giving employees a say. We’ve been charter supporters since 2022.
Flexible working praised
Following a detailed assessment answering nearly 50 questions on our recruitment, hiring and employment practices, panellists praised:
- A ‘fantastic, positive approach to flexible working’ – supported by a work any time / anywhere policy, which enables the team to operate from respective bases in Bristol, Somerset and Exeter. We’ve been doing this since day one, after setting up flexible working policies and proving their worth at previous agencies long before hybrid working became widespread.
- Our commitment to wellbeing, including regular one-to-ones and access to a healthcare scheme.
- Allocating time for learning and development. All colleagues have professional development plans and can take up to five days of volunteer leave to support good causes each year.
- Giving staff a voice over how things happen, with quarterly planning sessions, weekly meetings and fortnightly lunches in our main office in Bristol.
Team members shared the most important and rewarding feedback with panellists.
One said in feedback to the panel: “If there’s a word that sums up the culture at Distinctive, it’s ‘trust’.
“Members of the team are valued for the individual skills they bring to the organisation and treated like partners in the business rather than just employees.”
Another colleague added: “We’re trusted to work flexibly, and this has been invaluable to me in finding a work-life flex that works for me.
“It allows me to work when, where and how I am most productive, meaning that I get the best from the company, and they get the best from me.
“Most importantly, I feel we’re honest and transparent with each other and communicate well, which is vital as a small, hybrid team.”
Why it works for us
As a team that cares about people, places and work, it means so much to achieve this recognition. We recognise that businesses are different and that what works for one team won’t work for another. And we certainly don’t get everything right. There have been some comedy moments along the way. But we’ve come a long distance in the last three years, and learned from mistakes to improve how we do things.
I believe this has helped us build a close-knit, committed team who trust each other, behave like adults and take pride in what we do. That shows in amazing client feedback – with an NPS score of 89 last year – and in how colleagues consistently show up for each other, with just two days of sickness across the whole team in the last year.
When we last hired someone, we had nearly 50 applicants for one role, which is incredible for a business our size. During recruitment, the issue that came up most in interviews is flexible working. That confims what we hear from recruiters: It matters to people. And it’s imcumbent on employers to respond to that where they can.
At a time when flexible, inclusive working practice is in the spotlight and coming under pressure, it’s good to be part of a group of employers who champion what we see as a better way to work.
We look forward to learning more about how other charter members create positive culture with their teams.
And if you’re interested in working for a company like Distinctive, we’re recruiting for a PR and comms executive role right now.
Written by
Ben Lowndes
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