For some of us, flexible work isnāt a 'perk' or 'nice to have'.
It's a necessity - it's how we keep going when life gives us no room to breathe.
For me, flexible working was a lifeline.
Age 17, I was a full-time student and a carer for my mum.
And age 21, I became her full-time carer - supporting her in the year before she died.
Her cancer was terminal. This meant:
ā Daily care tasks that didnāt fit neatly into a '9-5'.
ā Frequent (often unplanned) hospital appointments.
ā Late-night and early-morning emergencies.
As her carer, my mum came first.
But, I also needed to earn money.
So I found work that could bend:
ā Freelance social media gigs (approx 10 hrs p/w)
ā Tutoring GCSE English and A Level Law (approx 5 hrs p/w)
ā Admin support for a local recruitment firm (approx 10 hrs p/w)
Anything that gave me real freedom - and control over when I worked.
I wasn't work shy. Or lazy.
I just had responsibilities most people never saw.
And those experiences have shaped how I lead now.
1/ Itās why I'll always champion flexible work.
2/ Itās why I focus on outcomes - not when someone logs on or off.
3/ And it's why I design roles around real lives, not just ideal schedules.
Because there are people on your team carrying invisible weights.
Mental health struggles.
Caring responsibilities.
Bereavement.
Childcare.
The things you'll never see in a calendar invite.
A reminder to leaders:
The future of work isnāt fixed hours.
Itās flexibility, trust and space for real life.
And if your version of āworkā only works for people with no outside responsibilities, it's time to rethink what youāre building.
--
ā»ļø If this resonates, please repost. Someone in your network might be carrying more than you know.
PS. Hey, I'm Lewis. COO at Kurogo and Co-Founder at FUNC. I talk about operations, scaling smart and human leadership.
It's a necessity - it's how we keep going when life gives us no room to breathe.
For me, flexible working was a lifeline.
Age 17, I was a full-time student and a carer for my mum.
And age 21, I became her full-time carer - supporting her in the year before she died.
Her cancer was terminal. This meant:
ā Daily care tasks that didnāt fit neatly into a '9-5'.
ā Frequent (often unplanned) hospital appointments.
ā Late-night and early-morning emergencies.
As her carer, my mum came first.
But, I also needed to earn money.
So I found work that could bend:
ā Freelance social media gigs (approx 10 hrs p/w)
ā Tutoring GCSE English and A Level Law (approx 5 hrs p/w)
ā Admin support for a local recruitment firm (approx 10 hrs p/w)
Anything that gave me real freedom - and control over when I worked.
I wasn't work shy. Or lazy.
I just had responsibilities most people never saw.
And those experiences have shaped how I lead now.
1/ Itās why I'll always champion flexible work.
2/ Itās why I focus on outcomes - not when someone logs on or off.
3/ And it's why I design roles around real lives, not just ideal schedules.
Because there are people on your team carrying invisible weights.
Mental health struggles.
Caring responsibilities.
Bereavement.
Childcare.
The things you'll never see in a calendar invite.
A reminder to leaders:
The future of work isnāt fixed hours.
Itās flexibility, trust and space for real life.
And if your version of āworkā only works for people with no outside responsibilities, it's time to rethink what youāre building.
--
ā»ļø If this resonates, please repost. Someone in your network might be carrying more than you know.
PS. Hey, I'm Lewis. COO at Kurogo and Co-Founder at FUNC. I talk about operations, scaling smart and human leadership.
