Spalding company letting employees work where and when they want

Spalding recipe box company Gousto is letting its office employees choose where and when to work as the requirement to work from home lifts in England.

The business, which has two bases in Spalding, will introduce the 'Work Where it Works' and flexitime initiatives to help teams maintain a healthy work-life balance, post lockdown.

This comes as the company prepares to double its workforce for the second year in a row to help meet increasing demand for its recipe boxes. It will reach 2,000 people by the end of this year.

In line with the team expansion, Gousto is rolling out an enhanced level of flexibility and choice for each individual, recognising that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to flexible working.

The initiatives include:

Work Where it Works

Employees choose where they prefer to work each day, whether that’s at home, in the office or a coffee shop. There will be no minimum requirement for the number of days teams are expected to be in the office.

Working abroad will also be an option for up to 30 days per year and, with more than 30 different nationalities at Gousto, this will allow more time for visiting friends and family in other countries.

Flexitime

Introducing new core working hours of 10am-4pm, allowing flexibility to make up the remaining hours for the day as it suits. The initiative ensures everyone has the same opportunity to flex their hours, by having a consistent and fair approach for all.

Gousto founder and CEO Timo Boldt said: "People and culture are the key to our success. Our culture is built on core values that inspire our teams to dream big, and deliver with impact and care. This keeps our teams motivated and dedicated to the work, no matter where or when they are working.”

Building on the existing values around flexible working, the two new initiatives will launch on a trial basis, collecting insights and feedback from employees along the way.

* Gousto is joining 21 Lincolnshire Co-op food stores in Lincolnolnshire in contributing surplus food to the county's first first food redistribution hub.

The hub, which is based in Lincoln, is run by charity FareShare. The £60,000 project has been funded by Lincolnshire Co-op and the Lincolnshire Community Foundation.