At Influx, we are a dynamic agency that is able to constantly adapt and grow as the market changes and respond quickly to the fast pace of the digital world and our clients. Our belief as a company is that the traditional 9-5 model just isn’t the right fit and that a flexible approach is the future of working.
We do everything we can to attract and keep the very best talent so that we can deliver beyond expectations time and again. We have always been an agile business, and this has developed into a philosophy that is based on flexibility and takes into account not just the individual needs of our clients but also those of our team. So what is the secret to this? Influx Founder and Managing Director James Whittall explains.
Remote working
The beauty of the interconnected digital world is that there are far greater opportunities to access great talent. The catch is that the best people for the job may not be based in the same area as you, and may well have commitments that prevent them from relocating on a permanent basis.
Luckily, with the right infrastructure and project management, we make it possible for our team to work remotely as much as they need to. At the same time, we have the facilities here at our Manchester headquarters for our team members to spend as much time as they wish in the office. We can also bring the whole team together when required and invite clients to a state of the art work and meeting space.
An additional benefit of our flexible remote working approach is that staff can spend their time more productively as they do not need to commute more than necessary and this also helps to reduce our environmental footprint.
Flexible working hours
We’ve found that flexible working hours and remote working go hand in hand when it comes to staff satisfaction and as a consequence, this helps us to enjoy exceptionally high staff retention.
Because of our excellent retention, we know that we can trust our team to pull out all the stops and go the extra mile when it’s needed. As a result, we can reward this commitment by offering team members the flexibility to fit their work around their individual lifestyles and needs.
Staff development
We pride ourselves in hiring team members who are at the highest level in their field. We recognise, however, that in order to stay at the top of their game, it is essential that they have the opportunity to continually learn new skills, acquire further certifications and broaden their experience – as well as keep their interest satisfied. Many of our team choose to do this in their own time and thanks to our flexible approach to working we are able to encourage and support this.
One of the major benefits of such an approach is that staff feel empowered to develop themselves and don’t feel that they need to seek employment elsewhere in order to upskill or stay motivated.
We also recognise that many of our team, as is typical in the digital and creative industries, take on freelance engagements in addition to their primary job. This is something that has been embraced by the larger tech companies with great success, for example Google with their widely reported 80/20 policy. We also see this approach as something to be encouraged, as it provides our team members with the chance to gain new knowledge and experience in areas beyond those in which they generally work. This means that they are constantly able to bring even more value to the mix.
Punching above our weight
By working with such a flexible model, we have been able to build up a core team and network of experts in a wide range of fields, all of whom are very happy to have been long-serving members of the Influx Digital Team. In fact, our core team of designers, developers and digital marketers have been with us since the very beginning.
The result is that we have access to a huge pool of talent and knowledge. This means we have a team of incredibly talented and passionate individuals that allow us to punch above our weight in both quality and price to deliver robust, bespoke projects of any scale. We are also in a position to provide cutting edge solutions that fit in with our clients’ existing resources and have the capacity to grow at the same pace as their business.
In addition to a core team comprising of myself as Project Director for websites and digital marketing, we have a Brand Director, Lead Developer (front-end), Back-end Developer, Lead Designer and PR & Communications Exec.
This core team is supported by additional Designers, Digital Marketers, Copywriters, Photographers, Videographers and a larger network of strategic partners in the form of trusted individuals and companies.
Embracing opportunity
We recognise that the world of work is changing rapidly and as we race towards 2020, the trends that we see emerging now are likely to continue. If previous times are anything to go by, the pace of change is also likely to increase dramatically – and this is visible in the digital sector more than any other. By keeping to our core principles of agility and flexibility, retaining the best talent and minimising overheads, we are perfectly positioned to help our clients make the most of the opportunities that the future holds.
At the same time, we recognise that stability is hugely important for our clients – and that is one of the major benefits that comes out of me taking personal responsibility for all of our clients as Project Director and ever-present fixture for clients and staff alike.
Why not check out our blog on the legal requirements for a website?
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