Flexible Working at Social Investment Scotland: A journey about trust, values and “having a whole life”
14 Apr 2026
- About SIS
Many years ago, not long after taking on my first CEO role, I remember reading an article in the Harvard Business Review called “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time”. It stuck with me. Not because it offered a neat set of answers (it didn’t), but because it challenged a deeply ingrained idea of work: that productivity is about control, hours and presenteeism, rather than trust, wellbeing and outcomes.
That article was one of the sparks SIS to rethink how we work.
At the beginning, if I’m honest, we muddled through. Like many organisations, we experimented, learned, adjusted — and sometimes got things wrong. But over time, our approach to flexible working has become far more intentional and structured, grounded in our values and in what we call the SIS Way, simply put, “the way we do things around here”.
This journey reached an important milestone recently when Social Investment Scotland became one of the first ten organisations in Scotland to receive the new Flexible Workplace Accreditation from Flexibility Works.
A meaningful accreditation, not just a badge
The Flexible Workplace Accreditation recognises employers who are putting flexible working into practice in a way that supports people and strengthens organisational performance. Developed by Flexibility Works with support from The Robertson Trust, the accreditation provides an independent framework for understanding how flexible working is experienced across an organisation — not just what policies say on paper.
For us at SIS, the process itself was just as valuable as the outcome.
It created structured opportunities for reflection, listening and honest feedback across the team. It helped us look carefully at what’s working well, where tensions arise, and how we can continue to improve. And importantly, it reinforces our public commitment to flexible working — especially as part of how we attract and retain talented people.
Do we get flexible working right all of the time? Absolutely not. But then again, who does?
What we’ve learned along the way
Reflecting on our journey so far, a few things really stand out.
- Flexible working starts with values, not policies.
From the outset, we grounded our approach in our organisational values and the SIS Way. Flexible working isn’t an “extra” or a perk at SIS, it’s part of how we show trust, respect and care for one another. - It matters deeply to our people.
Flexible working is consistently the most valued benefit we offer, and it’s often seen as just as valuable as financial reward, sometimes more so. It has played a significant role in retaining key colleagues, supporting health and wellbeing, and contributing to low levels of sickness absence across the organisation.
- Good flexible working needs support, feedback and brave conversations.
The SIS Leadership team and support from Flexibility Works colleagues, Nikki Slowey and Lisa Maclean Gallagher, and their wider teams, have been crucial. Creating safe spaces, clear feedback loops and a shared language around flexibility allows us to address challenges early and resolve tensions constructively.
As one colleague at SIS put it so powerfully:
“Flexible working allows me to have a whole life, not just a job that sits as a block in the middle of my existence.”
That sentiment captures exactly what we are trying to achieve.
Part of a wider shift in how Scotland works
SIS is proud to be accredited alongside nine other pioneering organisations across Scotland, spanning housing, law, childcare, employability and the third sector:
This diversity shows that flexible working isn’t limited to one type of organisation or role. It’s about trust, culture and thoughtful leadership wherever you work.
Lisa Gallagher, cofounder of Flexibility Works, describes flexible working as having the power to transform lives: supporting parents, carers and people managing their health to stay in work and build fulfilling careers. She also highlights the strong business case, with organisations seeing improved retention, engagement and inclusion.
The Robertson Trust, which supported the development of the accreditation, emphasises flexible working as a core feature of fair, high-quality jobs, particularly for people on the lowest incomes. Their vision is one we strongly share: work should provide a reliable route out of poverty, not an additional barrier.
Looking ahead
For Social Investment Scotland, achieving Flexible Workplace Accreditation isn’t the end of the journey. It’s a marker, a point to pause, reflect and recommit.
Flexible working will continue to evolve as our organisation grows, our team changes, and the world around us shifts. What won’t change is our belief that when people are trusted and supported to work in ways that suit their lives, they do their best work — for themselves, for SIS, and for the communities we exist to serve.
Here’s to more trust, more learning, and more colleagues having not just a job, but a whole life alongside it.
Alastair Davis is CEO of Social Investment Scotland