By Jenn Barnett, Head of ESG and ED&I, Grant Thornton UK

At Grant Thornton, we’ve long believed that how we work is just as important as what we do. Since 2018, as a strategic priority we’ve worked to embed agile and family-friendly working into the heart of our culture, starting from the simple belief that people do their best work when they feel trusted, supported, and able to be themselves.

We’ve always known that flexibility matters, but we wanted to understand what it really looks like in practice for our people. Through listening sessions, employee networks, and regular surveys, we heard clearly that flexibility isn’t just about where you work. It’s about feeling empowered to shape your working life around what matters most – whether that’s family, health, or simply how you work best.

We also heard that traditional ways of working weren’t working for everyone. Women, carers, and colleagues with disabilities were often facing barriers to progression – not because of capability, but because the system wasn’t built with their needs in mind.

I’ve seen firsthand how embedding flexibility into our working culture has transformed our business for the better, helping to build a more engaged, productive, and resilient community.

Here’s how we did it, how we’re measuring it, and the results we’ve seen so far.

Flexibility with purpose

Truly flexible, family-friendly working means building trust into how we work.

Our trust-based way of working is driven by responsible people who have the best interests of our firm and our clients at heart. This helps us all to achieve even more than we thought we were capable of in work, and feel supported to live life to the fullest outside of it.

Taking this approach means that when we’re making choices about how, where or when we work, we have the support and tools we need to do the right thing. It’s about acknowledging that flexibility isn’t one-size-fits-all, and that it can mean different things depending on each person’s role or life stage.

We believe that no one should be disadvantaged for working differently. By embedding trust as a key principle, we’re showing that flexibility in where, how, and when we work can go hand in hand with career progression and delivering the best results for our clients.

Policies that reflect real lives

Our policies are designed to support people throughout their lives, especially in the moments that matter most.

Gender disparity still exists in how caring is shared, and so we’re working to change this by supporting all working parents at every stage of parenthood. Through our enhanced family and paternity leave policies, non-birthing parents can take up to six weeks of full pay, spread over 12 weeks if needed, ensuring gender-neutral support for caregiving.

We also offer up to five fully paid days of carers leave per year for those looking after loved ones. Plus, through our Let’s Care Together programme, unpaid carers are matched with trained ‘befrienders’ who offer mental health and wellbeing support. It’s a small gesture with a big impact, helping carers feel seen, supported, and valued.

The results speak for themselves

We measure the strategic benefits and success of our approach through gender-specific dashboards, pulse surveys, and by tracking flexible working requests and approvals.

Our recent employee engagement survey found that:

• 93% of people say they connect and collaborate effectively while working remotely
  • 84% say they have control over their working life
  • 81% say they have the same opportunities whether remote or office working
  • 73% say they effectively balance work, life and wellbeing.

Since adopting flexible policies and practices, we’ve seen real, measurable improvements across the board:

• Our flexible culture has helped us retain top talent, particularly working parents. 80% of participants in our new parent mentoring scheme have stayed with the firm, showing that support during life transitions makes a real difference.
• Promotion rates for women are equal up to director level, showing an improvement in our pipeline for gender equality in senior management.
• Over time, we’ve seen improved retention of employees who have taken maternity leave.

Spotlight on flexible working: stories from our people

Abi Davies

An inspiring example of our flexible approach in action is Abi Davies, a Transfer Pricing Director who joined us after 16 years away from professional practice.

When Abi joined the firm, she was clear about her need for a term-time only contract so she could be present for her two young children. The response was total support. As Abi puts it: “The firm’s openness to this made me feel really valued, and the flexibility I have is fantastic. No longer having to juggle all our annual leave to cover school holidays is incredible.”

Abi’s story is a testament to how flexible working practices genuinely change the narrative around what career progression and leadership looks like, especially for women. Abi initially didn’t think a director role would be possible on a term-time basis, but seeing others succeed in similar circumstances changed her perspective.

If Abi’s journey isn’t a compelling enough reason for organisations to consider flexible working practices, I don’t know what is!

Read Abi’s full story >

Sam Allen

Another great example of flexibility in action is Sam Allen, a Commercial Audit Director. For Sam, our approach to flexible working has been key to finding the right balance, enabling him to deliver for clients while also being there for his young family.

He says: “The flexibility in how I manage my time has been hugely beneficial. With three small children, being able to flex my diary so I can be involved in their lives has made a real difference. There’s always been a strong focus on producing high-quality work for our clients, but I’ve always felt valued and supported – both as a professional and a person – to deliver it.”

Sam’s experience shows what’s possible when flexibility is more than a perk. When people feel truly supported and trusted, they can bring their best not just at home, but for their clients, too.

Watch the video: How Sam works >

Continuing to create a culture of trust

We’re proud to be a family-friendly employer, as one of the first firms to be awarded a Family Friendly Workplaces accreditation – but we know the work doesn’t stop here. Creating a truly inclusive, flexible culture is an ongoing journey that takes active listening, learning, and willingness to challenge the status quo. These insights help us keep improving and keep challenging ourselves to do better.

The key takeaway I’d like organisations to take away from our approach is that flexibility is so much more than a buzzword or perk. With due diligence and an open mindset, it’s a proactive strategy for attracting, nurturing, and retaining the best talent. Who wouldn’t want to unlock that?

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