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Back to SearchWednesdays are the new Saturdays for Graeme who spends one weekday at home each week – he makes up his time on another weekday or sometimes on a Saturday. Graeme has worked flexibly for the last 18 months to spend time looking after his two-year old granddaughter Sienna. His wife looks after Sienna Monday to Friday, so with one free day in between she’s able to run errands and go to her favourite yoga class. We asked Graeme some of the frequently asked questions on flexible working, here is what he shared.
How do you let your colleagues know about your flexible working?
I usually spend one weekday per week at home, the actual day each week varies (it’s usually a Wednesday), but I generally block a day out in my calendar on a rolling basis two to three weeks ahead of time so that my colleagues can see I won’t be in the office.
What if someone from the office needs to contact you on your non-office day?
My role as Quality Manager, Western Australia is such that face-to-face interaction is not required for much of the work I do. Generally, I am fully reachable at home via email, mobile and Jabber (GHD’s internal instant chat platform) – through Jabber I can also monitor any missed calls and messages on my office desk phone. GHD’s teleconference platform WebEx enables me to join in any meetings that happen to be scheduled (at short notice) on the day I am not in the office. Given the technology available to work remotely, people often don’t even realise I am physically out of the office when I respond to them.
What if you need to do an urgent work task on your non-office day?
I plan my working week and openly communicate with my colleagues to avoid extremely urgent task situations. However, Sienna sleeps for a few hours in the afternoon, which gives me an opportunity to address any more urgent work matters that may have arisen.
Do you feel comfortable discussing flexible working options with your manager?
My manager and I are comfortable with my approach to flexible working. Essentially, I spread my hours over a six-day week, and even when I’m not physically in the office, I can respond quite quickly to any queries or direct people to others who can assist in my absence. Given the flexibility regarding which day I am not in the office, I can change the day if there is a specific need for me to be in the office.
What’s the best part about working flexibly?
Spending quality time with my granddaughter! I love having the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with Sienna and to watch her develop. Sienna’s excited expression and big smile when she is dropped off in the morning and realises it is “Poppy Day” is priceless.
About Graeme Mann
Graeme is responsible for the overall compliance, proactive management and continuous improvement of the Quality Management System (QMS) for GHD’s Western Australia operations. He has more than 38 years’ experience working in an engineering design office, apart from periods in 1987/88 when he was Assistant Resident Engineer on site for the construction of Tuggeranong Dam in Canberra and in 1990/91 when he was Site Engineer for the construction of New Victoria Dam. He has particular experience in dam design, dam safety and remedial works projects, flood mitigation projects and the management and coordination of multi-disciplined projects. Connect with Graeme on LinkedIn here.
GHD’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is embodied within our strategy and includes: championing gender equality, cultural diversity, LGBTI inclusion, adapting work practices to capture the benefits of generational diversity, reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as well as flexible working arrangements for our people.
