Abi: term-time only working

To be honest, I didn’t think I would ever want to return to working in a professional practice, but it was the Grant Thornton culture which initially attracted me to the firm. My last experience of working in practice was 16 years ago. Back then, in order to develop and achieve promotion it felt like you had to be in the office every day, and the last person to leave your desk at night. This wasn’t a working environment that I wanted to return to. Grant Thornton was recommended to me a couple of times by various contacts, and when I was made redundant from my previous role, I thought I’ve got nothing to lose. I decided to have a chat with a recruiter at Grant Thornton, and I’m so pleased I did.

It was clear from the calls with the recruitment team, and the hiring manager, that the culture within Grant Thornton was nothing like the professional services I had remembered.

Although I worked part-time in my previous role, I wanted to explore the option of working term time only as both my children are at primary school. I was upfront from the beginning about what I was looking for and the recruitment team importantly listened. I didn’t think that working term time only would be possible especially in professional practice, but it really felt like the team was willing to do what they could to accommodate my wishes and make sure I could achieve the balance I was looking for. This has made me feel valued.

Since joining the firm, the flexibility I now have within my family life is incredible. For example, we no longer have to juggle all our annual leave just to cover school holidays. The time that we do have together is quality family time and it enables me to properly switch off from work and come back recharged.

That said, it takes a lot of planning to achieve the right balance. The support of my wider Grant Thornton team is invaluable. The six-week holidays take the most planning, as it’s somewhat longer than the usual week or two you get for other holidays. As we approach holidays, we look carefully at which projects I take on. If anything looks like it’s going to run into holidays, I start bringing the director or other team members into the detail of the project to ensure a smooth handover. Or for new projects, other members of the team take it on rather than me.

For day to day, I’m always really open about my working hours, and clearly show in my diary when I am available. It helps me manage my work life balance.

Returning to practice at Grant Thornton has exceeded my expectations. Our firm is such a caring place to work, not only in my team but the wider firm; our people and our clients. The firm understands that while we have all worked hard to get to where we are in our careers, there is more to life than work. It’s great to see that in practice across all grades within the firm. The partners in my region are really open, they clearly show any childcare or other non-work appointments in their diaries for everyone to see.

For the first time, I can be honest and true to myself about what I want in my career. I am really proud of my achievements and right now, for me, that is enough. That doesn’t mean I don’t have career aspirations. For me, career aspirations aren’t just about being promoted. Through my conversations with my people manager, I learn how the firm supports me in reaching my potential in a way that works for me. It’s refreshing to work for a firm where you can still excel even if you’re not climbing the promotion ladder quickly.

Abi: term-time only working

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