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In today’s complex environment, we understand that we all have different needs when it comes to balancing work and life, which is why we believe an Adaptive Working environment, helps us to build an inclusive, collaborative and customer-focused culture. This approach enables us to have open conversations about where, when and how we work, to ensure the best outcome for our customers and our team, while balancing our work and personal life.

As part of our Adaptive Working framework and in response to our colleagues’ feedback, we have a number of ways in which our people can work flexibly, including Compressed Working, which we launched in the UK earlier this year.

Compressed working enables our UK based colleagues to change their working pattern by compressing normal contractual hours worked into fewer days. For instance, working ten days in nine, with every other Friday off, or five days in four-and-a-half, with every Friday afternoon off.

Since its launch in June, so far 17% of our UK colleagues have taken up the compressed working pattern. We caught up with a few of them to find out what this new way of working enables them to do with their time, or in other words, what gives them that Friday feeling?

As a single dad, compressed working allows me to spend more time with my kids. In particular, having time to play in the park with their friends after picking them from school, rather than dashing back to the house during a late lunch break, to look at screens whilst dad gets on with his work!
Luke, Marketing Executive

With both my folks now retired, it's been great to play the occasional round of golf with them at their local club!
Harry, Marketing & Communications Executive

We’re a military family posted to an area with no relatives nearby to help with childcare, so it’s a huge help. Soon my non-working Friday is conveniently falling on an inset day at my kids' school, so it is a lifesaver that I don't have to try to find childcare or take a day of annual leave. I'm planning to use one for a spa day soon; with two young kids, all my annual leave gets used in school holidays so it means a lot to me to have these Fridays to do something for myself or catch up on things around the house.
Emma, Bid Writer

I’ve been getting out and about discovering new places to walk with my dogs, Hollie and Ivy!
Claire, Senior Communications Manager

My compressed working has allowed me to make real progress on my DIY projects around the house. It has also made scheduling of life admin tasks (like car MOTs) much easier, as I can plan way ahead knowing I'll have a day off.
Christian, Campaign Manager

I love doing my chores and life admin on Friday, freeing me up for weekends with my daughter.
James, Group Head of Agile

We are delighted that this new addition to our employee offering is providing greater flexibility to our colleagues. You can find out more about life at QinetiQ through taking a look at our employee offering here.