We’re proud of the great work we produce at Blue Feathers, and we know that our culture – built around flexibility, trust and a focus on outcomes – plays a key part in making that possible. In this short article I’ll look at what our culture means in practice for our team, and how it contributes to our success.
Remote working as a way of life
Even before the pandemic, we championed a home-based, remote working model. Why? Because it aligns with our belief that we’re most productive and successful when work adapts to our lives, not the other way around.
Remote working is integral to our culture, and our extended team is based in locations from Cornwall to Scotland to Germany, and everywhere in between. Geography doesn’t limit us; we work with the best people for the job, regardless of where they call home. I’m writing this from sunny Dorset, having been able to move back to the west country after many years away, thanks to the flexibility that Blue Feathers offers.
Remote working also frees up valuable hours that would otherwise be spent commuting. Instead, we can use that time for ourselves — for exercise, cooking, more time with the children or simply getting out for a walk before the working day begins.
Balancing remote working with in-person contact
While remote working is our norm, we recognise the value of face-to-face interactions. We regularly gather together in person as a team, using the time to build relationships, develop our skills, focus on our longer-term business objectives and, just as importantly, have fun. We also travel to meet our clients when it will add value, for example to run workshops and working sessions in person.
My local beach, where I walk and swim after work (the weather’s not always as nice as this!)
Time flexibility, with a focus on deliverables
We’re driven by client needs: we always work to the deadlines we’ve agreed, and we manage our workflow to schedule key project milestones and meetings around what makes sense for our clients. But within this framework, we prioritise deliverables over ‘core’ desk time – so if people want to go for a run in the morning and work a bit later in the evening, or take a couple of hours away for an appointment one day and make it up the next, that’s fine. Our work is grounded in trust – we agree what needs to be delivered and when, and then it’s for individuals and teams to make it happen.
To make this approach work, we plan and communicate effectively so we can rely on each other and avoid surprises – we make sure our calendars are always up to date, for example, so it’s immediately visible when we’re available and when we’re not. We’re also committed to flexing when we need to – to cover illness or adapting to changing client priorities. We stay in touch with each other during the week via Teams and short calls, and we have a weekly meeting for each project so everyone’s clear on where we are and what’s coming next.
Life outside Blue Feathers
One of the most important benefits of focusing on deliverables in this way is that as individuals, we feel in control of our time. This means we’re able to combine our work for Blue Feathers with a range of other interests and commitments, whether that’s caring responsibilities, coaching, beekeeping, craft gin production or dog psychology – and yes, these are all genuine activities our team members are involved in!
All of which goes to create a supportive working environment, full of highly motivated, engaged colleagues who have the time and headspace to deliver deep strategic thinking – and our clients get the benefit of all that positive energy.
Conclusion
Our working culture is one of the things that we believe sets us apart from other agencies. We’re proud of our model and the happy, high-performing team it supports – we get the most out of our working time and the best out of each other, and this shows up in the great results we achieve for our clients
Author: Guy Chapman
Guy Chapman is a senior brand strategist who specialises in proposition development, product management and business development. He has a strong background in education, having worked for the British Council and Cambridge University Press and Assessment. Prior to this, Guy worked at an advertising agency where his clients included MasterCard, Canon and Matalan. MBA-qualified, Guy has strong facilitation and communication skills, and is adept at distilling a wide range of data and information into the essential insights that lead to effective strategy.