How do you achieve a perfect work-life balance?
We are constantly in awe of our employees and what they juggle in day-to-day life: childcare, caring for parents, health challenges – all before you have even left for work!
As a family-run business, we do all we can to shoulder these challenges and flexible working practices have become a given to help find the perfect balance. For LGV drivers, some flexible solutions aren’t an option, hence the title of this post, but that doesn’t stop us.
The beauty of running a 24/6 logistics operation is that there are plenty of hours within the working week to be creative with shift patterns. We really can write the script for our employee’s working hours – In our team of 65 drivers, we proudly have 24 different working patterns, and we’ll happily create more!
We achieve balance when the set of variables is right for each person. For the employee, pressure is removed, and life is easier and more rewarding. For Anglia Freight, our vehicles have a driver in their optimal state – life distractions are reduced, fatigue is less, and attention behind the wheel is improved.
In 2023, we approved 11 flexible working requests; here’s a few
- Kevin and Peter both moved to a 4-day week for health balance.
‘My knees give me a lot of problems. Having a Wednesday off gives me a break mid-week and I can rest and attend doctor, hospital or physio appointments.’
‘I found myself getting a lot of health problems, requiring doctor/hospital visits on Wednesdays. Anglia Freight approved the request with no issue, and if I can’t get my appointments for Wednesday, they allow me to switch days. As a result, my attendance has improved.’ - Richard requested a 4-day working pattern due to family commitments and a staged approach toward retirement.
‘My extended personal time allows me to uphold family commitments and undertake longstanding hobbies. The request was handled promptly following consideration of any impact on the business whilst happily meeting my expectations.’ - Darren requested flexible working to provide care for his father.
‘Due to a sudden change in my father’s health, I found myself regularly travelling to Hertfordshire to help with his care and support. This became more challenging to manage alongside my own home life and work. After speaking with the HR team, a flexible working request was agreed upon, reducing my working week to 4 days and having every Monday off. I can now spend more time caring for my father, including speaking with health care professionals on my Monday off work. This has also helped my mental health and resilience, as I am less tired and stressed.If you would like to discuss flexible working options with Anglia Freight, we’d love to talk to you – contact us via hr@angliafreight.co.uk