Work Life Week | Rasem's Story

By Steph Dyke, Marketing Manager

As this week is National Work Life Week, we’re recognising our brilliant #teamguidant colleagues who want to share their flexible working stories with us. With over 80% of our business now working flexibly, it’s clear just how important having a manageable work life balance is – and not just to parents, but also anyone with other commitments or challenges commuting 5 days a week.

First up, we spoke to Rasem who is a Recruitment Coordinator on our British Airways account. We chatted with him about his experiences with Guidant and how flexible working has truly benefitted his life.

Well my story is a strange one, over the last 3 years I have had to look after my three wonderful children by myself, so I guess you can say I have two full-time jobs. It was hard in the beginning but finding that balance is key, I went from working full-time in a recruitment agency down to working part-time in London trying to achieve the perfect balance, unfortunately it was not conducive.

Then, in 2017, I began work at Guidant and was given the opportunity to work my core hours in the office, allowing me to do the school run before and after school and continue to work from home when all is settled. Because of this, I do feel more productive. In my role, on some occasions we have to book people in for emergency appointments and being able to work from home out of the normal office hours aids me in getting to speak to them, as well as giving me the peace to fully devote time to a task that is very much needed.

Working flexibly has also allowed me to be available for my children, who are everything to me, for all of the big and the little things and helps me share in the moment with them. My son has acute atopic eczema which can be painful all over his body and can be triggered by anything he is in contact with, meaning he needs a lot of care and he has a lot of appointments with the NHS. So being able to work flexibly is beneficial for the both of us so we can both attend his regular dermatology appointments and emergency ones.

Personally, I think flexible working is one of the most important workplace benefits that a lot of people could really benefit from, plus it really helps to create a happy workforce. It’s a relief that a company thinks of your needs first and helps you in any way they can to retain your loyalty and hard work. We all have the ambitions to work hard in our jobs, but being able to work in a flexible manner gives you the peace of mind, knowing you can still work to your full potential and take care of your family without having the worry about how you would achieve it.

I am so grateful for the assistance and full understanding of Guidant Global and my team members when it comes to flexible working.

​Stay tuned this week for more great flexible working stories.