Molly Johnson-Jones

Flexa

Co-Founder & CEO

11:FS

Senior Research Strategy Lead

Stone & River

Head Of Strategy

Consultant

GlobalData Retail, formerly known as Conlumino and Verdict Retail

Head of Food Retail Research

Nomura International plc

Food Retail Analyst

Deloitte

Scholar

Rothschild

Intern

Hey, I'm Molly - the CEO and Co-Founder of Flexa Careers 👋 

🌎 Flexa is where every flexible company gets discovered.

🤸‍♀️ We empower individuals to search by "how" they want to work, and find a company or role that matches their ideal working environment. This is a non-negotiable for 80% of the global office population; that's 300 million people worldwide. 

🏆 As a result, we enable companies to get discovered for their working environment, building an enviable employer brand in the process. 

🚀  With over 1.8 million users all over the world, Flexa is fast becoming the destination for the best companies to showcase their working environments to top talent. 

I regularly speak on the future of work, flexible working, DEI, and employer brand at conferences, events, TV, and radio. If you'd like me to speak at an event, or you're looking for advisory services, please email hello@flexa.careers and we can chat!

Nike's CEO recently blamed remote working for its lack of innovation 🙄 

Let's take a deeper look as to whether this is true 👇 

Deckers Brands (makers of UGG and HOKA) have made a commitment to flexibility, offering mostly hybrid working. 

🚀 During this time, they've grown market share (stealing a lot from Nike), created viral products on repeat, transcended generations, and grown a cult following.

Nike, on the other hand, is moving back towards a full RTO, blaming their "lack of innovation"

Sadly, this lack of innovation isn't new, and nor is it correlated with flexibility. 

🥷 lululemon, Under Armour, adidas and Salomon have all gone through periods of stealing Nike's market share...

All of this happened while Nike were in the office 😂 

It fits in with my hypothesis that, when under pressure, CEOs tend to blame flexible working to buy themselves time.

It takes months to prove or disprove this, and during this time they'll be pedalling like ducks underwater to make drastic changes. 

Flexible working is becoming the corporate scapegoat for underperformance, and, ultimately, these companies won't innovate faster under full RTO mandates.

Everyone knows that more engaged employees perform better, diverse teams perform better, and happy people remain in companies. 

A lack of diversity, high attrition (and associated costs), and plummeting employee engagement certainly won't help Nike's stock price to return to its peak. 

Short term blame like this will just set us back in terms of progress towards a more inclusive and sustainable future of work. 

Let's look at the bigger picture, please. 

Flexa

#FlexibleWorking #FutureOfWork #DiversityEquityInclusion

Jentz Tan (陈建生)

Sir Jim Ratcliffe just banned remote work at Manchester United because fewer emails were being sent on Fridays 🤔

According to Sir Jim, in one of his other companies when people were allowed to work from home on Fridays, email traffic dropped by 20% at one of his companies, and he concluded that working from home therefore doesn't work

No mention of a drop in output, or profits, or revenue... just email volume

The email volume of another, totally unconnected, company 😂 

If Manchester United were doing well at the moment, then this would be a puzzling move

But their recent struggles show that it's just another example of remote working being used as a scapegoat for poor performance

When will these leaders learn how transparent their motives are?

Flexa

#FlexibleWorking #RemoteWorking #Football

CEO & Co-Founder @ Flexa | Future of Work Speaker | Employer Brand | DEI

What impact does our 4.5 day week have on our team? 

At Flexa we've been running half day Fridays since our inception.

Here's what happens: 

⏰ Most of the team log off at 2pm, apart from those who choose to start their day later and finish later

🐸 Friday mornings are a flurry of work so everyone can log off worry-free 

📚 We built an output driven culture, measuring on tasks not time

😇 Team happiness increases and people feel valued and rested

🏝️ Long weekends can be had without taking extra holiday, which is a huuuuuge upside

🧨 There's a strong energy through the 4.5 day standard week, and people will still stay late on a Friday to finish if and when they need to

😱 If it's been a particularly busy week, then there's a quieter few hours at the end of the week to finish remaining tasks, but generally everything fits into the shorter week

Wondering about implementing a shorter work week? 

I chatted to Joe O'Connor, founder of Work Time Reduction on a webinar this week, and he's a font of knowledge when it comes to the evolved work week

Watch on demand via the links in the comments 👇 

#FlexibleWorking #FourDayweek #EvolvedWorkWeek

Good morning to everyone except the companies that think that statutory parental leave is a benefit 🤨 

Flexa

#FlexibleWorking #EnhancedParentLeave #DiversityEquityInclusion

I've had job offers retracted, and been dropped from many interview processes for asking about flexible working 🚩 

But there are ways to ask about flexibility that will open up a productive discussion and enable both sides to assess if it's a good fit

Here are some examples 👇  

1️⃣ "I'd love to understand a bit more about your culture and working environment, how would you describe it?"

2️⃣ "What kind of person thrives at your company? I'd be keen to understand the behaviours you encourage"

3️⃣ "How do you measure performance? What would make me seen as a top performer in this role?"

4️⃣ "I'd love to hear of some examples of how you foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace."

5️⃣ "Do you think that the pandemic shifted the way that your company thinks about work?"

These will all open a conversation that can be steered towards flexibility. 

If they avoid being led that way, run 🏃‍♀️ 

However, if flexibility really is a non-negotiable for you, then prioritise for companies that are clear from the very beginning.

You can find them on Flexa 👀 

#FlexibleWorking #Interview #DiversityEquityInclusion

When I lost my job because of my autoimmune disease I blamed myself

I asked to work from home once a week after 18 months with the company, and 10 days later a settlement package was put in front of me and I was told to leave immediately

🥭 I couldn't believe that I'd been so stupid as to let my employer know I had a chronic condition

🥭 I wished that I hadn't shown any weakness

🥭 I was frustrated that I couldn't work in a "normal" way

🥭 I resented my body for preventing me from succeeding 

🥭 I hated that people would feel sorry for me 

I was only 23 when it happened and I've since realised that I was not the problem; the environment I was in was the problem

Flexible working levelled the playing field for me

It stopped my physical symptoms being a barrier to work, progression, and success

Needing flexible working is not a weakness

Just the same as some people need glasses to read, some people need flexibility to thrive

Flexa

#FlexibleWorking #DiversityEquityInclusion #Disability

Why do so many people still conflate someone wanting to work flexibly with them being less committed to their job?

Let's look at who wants flexible working 👇 

💥 Female talent, particularly senior female talent, need flexible working to being able to work and manage family life

💥 People with disabilities and conditions often need flexibility to work at all

💥 97% of black Americans say that they prefer a hybrid or fully remote workplace, and black and ethnic minority employees are significantly more likely than their white counterparts to leave an inflexible role

💥 Neurodivergent individuals often need flexibility to thrive

💥 Research shows that LGBTQ+ employees are significantly more likely to leave their jobs if no flexible working is offered

So, by saying that flexible workers are less committed, you are implying that diverse talent is less committed... 

Let's stop perpetuating this nonsense ✌️ 

Flexa

#FlexibleWorking #DiversityEquityInclusion #InclusiveWorkplaces

Linda Pham, CHRP

Not every role can be done flexibly 👇 

💻 Trading
🛍️ Retail work
🍽️ Hospitality
🧱 Construction work
🐄 Farming
🏭 Factory work
🏢 Facilities management

This is something I hear very often, and it's true to some extent...

If you believe that flexible working only means being able to work from home

However, there are so many ways that flexibility can be added to in-person roles:

🎟️ Flexible shift patterns
🌴 Paid annual leave
⏰ Time off in lieu
👶 Paid parental leave
🐕 Dog-friendly offices
4️⃣ A 4 day week
⚖️ Part-time work

Flexified companies like Mars, Virgin Media O2, Centrica, TUI, Battersea, and BAE Systems all operate flexibly in their offices, but are getting creative with how they offer flexibility in their on-site roles too.

The flexible working conversation shouldn't just be about remote working ✌️ 

Flexa

#FlexibleWorking #FlexibleHours #Benefits

Flexible working does not mean anti-office

It means pro-choice ✌️ 

Flexa 

#FlexibleWorking #WorkLifeBalance #DiversityEquityInclusion

I have no issue with a company choosing to work in an office 5 days a week 

I do have an issue with ridiculous excuses for why flexible working doesn’t work 

The recent City AM article about why they’d say no to all flexible working requests (which is illegal, btw) really took the biscuit 🍪 

Here’s why 👇 

Flexa 

#FlexibleWorking #Equality #RemoteWork

I read an article earlier in the City AM that featured this rather shocking quote:

1️⃣ "At City A.M. Towers, you’re welcome to send in a request to WFH. But the answer, we’re afraid, is gonna be a good humoured “no”"

2️⃣ It then goes on to claim that removing indecision paralysis was "freedom" and created "equality"

3️⃣ And that "no company" has "nailed" flexible working

4️⃣ The whole argument was hinged on the fact that Deliveroo drivers and warehouse staff cannot work from home and flexible working will create a divide

Whilst I am in total favour of every company having control over their own working environments (I genuinely like offices), and actually don't think the Flexible Working Bill is all it's cracked up to be, I was quite angered by these quotes so thought I'd myth bust them 👇 

1️⃣ This is just straight up illegal and if I were a national news outlet, I would never have published this. Every case has to be assessed independently, and legitimate reasons for denying the request have to be given. Tune into our webinar later today (link in comments) to understand more.

2️⃣ Going into an office everyday doesn't create equality, it creates homogeneity. For childless, able bodied, white, straight individual who can afford to live a short commute from the office, it creates equality. For everyone else, the playing field is not level. 

Also, since when is removing the paradox of choice offering freedom? Are we advocating for Dictatorships now?

3️⃣ Umm. Atlassian? Amplifi? Flexa? Mars? I could name literally hundreds. 

4️⃣ Of course people using hardware or travelling around for their roles cannot work from home, but that doesn't mean that the natural evolution of the workplace should be stifled. 

Even when offices for five days a week were standard, there was no equality of hours, pay, conditions, progression, job security, weekends... Differences in conditions have been omnipresent, and commandeering this "equality lower wage workers" argument to add some form of humanitarian angle to RTO mandates is cheap

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk which is now on TikTok - username mollyjohnsonjones 🔥 

Flexa

#FlexibleWorking #FlexibleWorkingBill #Equality

Are you intrigued by the 4 day week?

Or maybe your company isn't ready yet, and you're wondering if there's a way to start to test the waters with a 4.5 day week or 9 day fortinight?

Tomorrow at 3pm BST, I'll be chatting with Joe O'Connor from Work Time Reduction on navigating the 4 day week.

We'll be covering 👇 

 🚀 The data on productivity and wellbeing benefits of a shorter work week

🤝 Guidance on successfully transitioning to an evolved week model

😱 Mistakes to avoid when proposing and implementing a shorter week

🧶 How to roll out a shorter week across different industries and company sizes

Join us live or on-demand via the link in the comments below

Flexa

#FlexibleWorking #FourDayWeek #EvolvedWorkWeek

We are in a women's health crisis 🫠 

Only 2% of medical research funding goes into women's health in the UK, which is a huge problem in itself, but these companies are stepping up and providing support to their female employees👇 

🥬 Multiverse offer pregnancy loss leave and generous private healthcare

🍎 Moneysupermarket Group give fertility leave, pregnancy loss leave, and enhanced sick pay

🥕 Papercup offer enhanced sick leave and four months for maternity and paternity

🥭 CTS offer enhanced sick pay, private health insurance, and pregnancy loss leave

🧅 Motorway offer private health insurance, enhanced sick leave, and an amazing 6 months maternity leave

🍐 Brit Insurance and Ki Insurance offer private health care, pregnancy loss leave, fertility leave, and menstrual leave

And coming in with one of the most impressive women's support initiatives... 

🍍 ADS Group Ltd with menstrual leave, fertility benefits, pregnancy loss leave, private health insurance, women's health leave, generous parental leave and enhanced sick leave

Check out all of these companies, and more, on Flexa as we add more filters to enhance your search for the perfect company 🔥 

#FlexibleWorking #DiversityEquityInclusion #GenderEquality

Inflexible companies will lose out on 👇 

🧲 The ability to easily attract top talent

🫱🏻‍🫲🏾 Diverse talent

🎣 Keeping hold of their own employees

😊 Employee happiness and engagement

🎨 Innovation and creativity

⚙️ Operational efficiency

Adding flexibility into your working environment will set you up for success and future proof your workforce 

Wondering what the key ingredients of future-proofing your workforce are?

Join me and Patrick Koch, CEO and Co-Founder of WorkFlex on Thursday at 1pm BST via the link in the comments 👇 

Flexa

#FlexibleWorking #FutureOfWork #DiversityEquityInclusion

In the last 365 days, my content has had over 25 million views 🔥 

Building a personal brand isn't easy, but here are four things that have made a huge difference 👇 

🍅 Choosing a niche (or two) and sticking to it 90% of the time

🍠 Consistency (boring, I know) of posting 3x a week, minimum

🍇 Value-add: people want to laugh, learn, agree, or disagree with content rather than read it for the sake of reading it 

🌽 Spending time understanding LinkedIn: it has quirks, must-do's, don't do's, and things you can do to optimise performance. I've spent a lot of my free time learning about these

I've now started creating content for TikTok, so if you're interested in seeing me talk about the things I write about, follow mollyjohnsonjones (link in comments)

Flexa

#PersonalBranding #FlexibleWorking #Creator

In this week's newsletter, I'm talking about why companies should stop using flexible working as an excuse for lack of innovation. 

This comes after Nike's CEO recently blamed remote working for the company’s innovation struggles. 

But let's face it, brands like lululemon, Under Armour, adidas, and Salomon have all stolen Nike's market share in the past. 

All whilst Nike was in the office 👀

It's time to look at the bigger picture. Blaming flexible working in the short term will only set us back, especially when we look at the progress we've made toward creating more inclusive workplaces and a sustainable future of work.

📊 Graph of the week - Large enterprises are becoming increasingly flexible
🧑 How flexibility improves innovation and productivity 
💡 6 ways to improve innovation with flexible working 
​​📚This week's must-read blogs
👀 Access my brand new EVP masterclass

Flexa

#FlexibleWorking #DiversityEquityInclusion #ReturnToOffice

Hello and welcome back to my newsletter! I write about the future of work, flexible working, startups, and DEI. If you’ve been forwarded this newslett

Open article: 
Flexible working is a catalyst for innovation, not a blocker by Molly Johnson-Jones • 6 min read

Molly Johnson-Jones on LinkedIn • 6 min read

Flexible working is a catalyst for innovation, not a blocker

In this week's newsletter we're talking family leave benefits 👇 

📊 Graph of the week - 83% of our top 100 Flexified companies offer enhanced maternity and paternity leave

👶 What is enhanced parental leave?

🍼 Companies leading the way with enhanced parental leave

👪 Beyond parental leave - how to create an inclusive workplace for parents

💬 Flexa stories : How has flexible working impacted working parents?

📚 This week’s must-read blogs 

⭐ Access my brand new EVP masterclass 

Flexa

#FlexibleWorking #ParentalLeave #GenderEquality

Open article: Family-friendly work benefits are no longer a nice-to-have, they’re a must-have by Molly Johnson-Jones • 8 min read

Molly Johnson-Jones on LinkedIn • 8 min read

Family-friendly work benefits are no longer a nice-to-have, they’re a must-have

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Molly Johnson-Jones's Linkedin Analytics