Speakers for Schools invites employees to work from anywhere

New @Speakrs4Schools policy introduced to support employee wellbeing and scale up ambitions as charity looks to hire a more geographically diverse workforce 

Leading social mobility charity Speakers for Schools is offering all employees fully flexible working options with a new Work From Anywhere policy.

The policy is being rolled out this month, spearheaded by the charity’s CEO Jason Elsom. It allows Speakers for Schools to broaden its recruitment pool and welcome applicants from a broader range of locations and experiences.

The organisation has grown exponentially since March 2020, with the number of employees rising from 12 to 85, all based in different locations across the UK. To aid the continuation of this UK-wide expansion, the charity will become 100% remote, funding employees’ home office set-ups, providing organisational wellbeing champions and no meetings-Wednesdays amongst other policies to support the transition. Two office hubs will also be available in London and Manchester if employees would like to use one.

Employees at Speakers for Schools have embraced new working practices such as hackathons, induction buddies, team socials and regular surveys, fostering a culture of collaboration while supporting employees to balance their working and personal lives. 

Jason Elsom, Chief Executive Officer of Speakers for Schools, is looking to scale up over the coming months and believes a Work From Anywhere policy will attract more talent. Commenting on the announcement, Jason said: 

“The pandemic has proven that the world of work as we knew it was the product of tradition rather than of necessity. At Speakers for Schools, colleagues have been relentless in their efforts to support young people with supplying life-changing work experience and career opportunities without the financial and temporal burden of a commute. I hope the ability to Work From Anywhere will attract new talent to the organisation as we continue to rapidly grow, by helping to ensure employee wellbeing and a healthy work-life balance.”

Suzy Flanagan, HR Director at Speakers for Schools, said:

 “We value our employees and their input hugely. Expanding the organisation’s recruitment beyond standard geographical limitations has allowed us to draw on a more diverse talent pool and employ professionals with regional expertise. Our flexible approach to remote working means we can be even more inclusive. We can attract and retain people from all over the UK who share our values and buy into our work ethos.”  

The new internal policy mirrors the strides made by the organisation during lockdown to champion remote work experience, where employers deliver high-quality career opportunities online,  allowing young people to engage with a range of businesses often based far away from where they live. Since taking its work experience programmes online in March 2020, Speakers for Schools has created over 50,000 free virtual work experience placements for young people. Likewise, its network of employer partners has increased from 70 to over 700 over the course of the pandemic, and the number of schools accessing work experience through the charity has more than tripled in the last three years.

Debbie Forster, MBE and CEO of Tech Talent Charter said:

“We are delighted to see that Speakers for Schools is embracing fully flexible working. This is an important part of not just creating a more inclusive culture, but also a very smart way to attract and retain great people. We love having them as a Tech Talent Charter Signatory and congratulate them in helping to lead the way in this important area”