Ubisoft’s Flexible Working Hours: Managing a Parent’s Work-Life Balance

Working in Talent Acquisition, I hold conversations with dozens of candidates on a weekly basis. Since Covid-19, all of us have seen a massive shift in the way we work. Everybody likes to have flexibility and to some of us this is now more important than ever.
A key question we ask when hiring is 'What's the most important thing for you?' One answer I'm hearing more often from candidates is the need for flexible working hours.

It's a response that resonates strongly with me, and one that puts a smile on my face as it's the same answer I gave to that question when I was being interviewed too.

My personal needs with this stem from the need for flexibility around childcare.

Everyone wants to do their job as best as they can but sometimes parents can feel as though you have to choose between work and your children. What I have is three amazing boys and being a single working dad, I need flexible hours to care for them as I'm fortunate enough to spend my time with them 4 - 5 days a week.

Sometimes this can be a bit of a handful! I need flexibility to go to doctors' appointments, or to pick them up from school because one of them has banged their head (again). I take trips to speech therapy with my youngest and recently went to a school assembly where parents could come along. It's the little things as parents we don't want to miss.

I can only do this because our studio culture allows flexible working, and as I'm in a trusted environment where my line manager knows exactly what's going on, and more importantly, is happy to give me that time and space which allows me to do my best without any added stress or worry. That's why Ubisoft is an amazing place for me to work, and that's what I tell our candidates when they express their need for flexibility for commitments they cannot miss.
You'd be amazed at the relief some candidates feel when I talk about this, you can hear it in their voice immediately, that small bit of empathy goes a long way.

I use the flexible working hours to look after my children, but parents aren't the only people who can take advantage of this perk. Employees need flexibility for a number of reasons. Whether it's religious commitments or they need time to care for relatives, driving lessons or language lessons. Our core hours on Fridays are 10am-12pm, and I know some of our team members take advantage of this to get to the gym when it's not so busy!

Ubisoft's approach to flexible working is not just a policy, but a way of life. We understand you have responsibilities outside of work, and with our studios you don't have to choose between them and your job. So, if you like what you hear, why not take a browse through our job openings on our website? You can also connect with me on LinkedIn, I'm more than happy to speak to you about possible opportunities with our studios.