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Flexible Working

  • RACHEL MURRAY
Blog Post: Flexible

Since day one, it has been a hugely positive experience to join Spokes Education. Within a short time, we formed exciting new partnerships, took on interesting and creative projects, and we moved into a new office. There are lots of benefits to being an employee here, from career progression opportunities to regular well-being checks. For the purpose of this blog, I wanted to focus on something that’s quite a rarity in my experience, the opportunity to work flexibly in my role.

Lots of us have fallen victim to the constraints of the 9-5 ‘daily grind’ in the past, and all too often it becomes an inescapable normality for us. You’ve heard that saying: ‘the little things mean the most’, but most of the time, we’re forced to miss out on the ‘little things’ – because going to watch the children in their Christmas production couldn’t possibly be conducive to a productive work environment. I feel lucky to be able to say that this isn’t the case at Spokes.

Working here, I benefit from a flexible, considerate and positive working environment where I feel valued, included and understood. In the office, we have an open line of communication regarding productivity and flexibility. If I feel that I could be more productive working from home on occasion, there’s no problem with that.

Additionally, if there’s something in my personal life that I’m keen not to miss, we work around it wherever possible so I don’t have to miss out. Naturally, we discuss in advance how these flexibilities may or may not impact the business, and weigh up what can be done to ensure that the company and I are getting the best from each other.

THE TRUE MEANING OF FLEXIBLE WORKING

To me, flexibility isn’t just about where I’m working from, it’s also about the variety of opportunities that are present within my role. I’ve had countless opportunities to learn new skills that go beyond the scope of my job description, which is a huge positive for me.

Beyond is an example of a business doing incredible things around workplace flexibility and positivity. So much, they’ve been named one of the top 100 companies to work for, it’s easy to see why. I found numerous similarities between their ethos and ours – it’s well worth a click on the link and could serve as a great conversation starter in your own workplace!

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St Crispin Local Centre,

Northampton, NN5 4DR

WORK INQUIRIES

INFO@SPOKESEDUCATION.COM 

+44 (0) 3003 03 07 08

SOCIAL MEDIA
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LEKSHMI ANIL

Lekshmi loves listening to music and spending time with her family and friends when away from work. She enjoys dancing and is a pretty good cook!

 

Kyle homer

I spend most of my spare time listening to music and usually plan my weekends around watching live music! I am also a huge Arsenal fan and try to go to games as often as possible, if not I watch them whilst hiding behind the sofa.

I have just finished my MA in Modern History and can often be found with a dull-looking book in hand! When I get the opportunity I enjoy travelling and experiencing new cultures and especially food!

DANIEL MENDONÇA

Daniel has a degree in Advertising and Publishing. He moved to the UK from Brazil to pursue new creative challenges.

Daniel is a DIY enthusiast. He is often painting, wallpapering, changing furniture or just turning his place upside down. He also loves cooking and you are likely to find him looking after the BBQ at a party. 

HAZEL SEPPINGS

Hazel has always been fascinated with creating things in their free time, and you’ll find them working on a painting or creating something from clay.

While waiting for those to dry, they’re either watching their latest TV obsession, exploring the local area, or going to gigs and exhibitions.

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vicky stafford

Vicky is happiest when spending time with her family, especially when exploring the outside!

She is also an avid theatre-goer (especially musicals!), loves a family film night on the sofa, and cosying up with a good book.

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MIA ABRAHAM

Mia enjoys attending gigs and festivals, and snowboarding in her spare time.

When she’s looking for something more chilled, you’ll often find her mooching around a good charity shop.

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EMMA EYTON-JONES

Emma loves exploring the UK and Europe in her campervan and having adventures with her dog Skip.

When she is not away, she can be found playing tennis (badly) or watching a good film.

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DANIELLE MARCH

Danielle loves spending time with her family and enjoys day trips to the beach, watching a new crime drama with a good cuppa and baking for her friends and family.

When time allows, Danielle also loves to explore a new country but believes there are too many great places to go back twice (unless it’s the Maldives!).

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Zoe Barnes

Zoe is a PGCE-qualified English teacher, with experience of teaching in secondary schools both in the UK and internationally. During her teaching career, she particularly enjoyed delivering CPD sessions on good teaching and learning practices, and mentoring trainee and newly-qualified teachers. She now applies these skills to learning design and developing our courses.

Zoe loves to travel and see the world, and has lived in The Netherlands, New Zealand, and Portugal. She enjoys weekly Parkrun 5ks, and the occasional 10k race. She continues to create and share teaching resources with the online English teaching community.

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Emily HARDY

Emily has always had a passion for animation and digital media. After getting her masters degree back in 2013, she’s spent seven years in the industry, collecting knowledge and honing her skills. 

Her time animating professionally has given her a wide range of knowledge in everything from 3D to stop motion!

When she’s not at work, she’ll be at home chilling out and watching a film with her partner, dog, and two cats. Weekends are reserved for pub trips and beer-making!

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Hannah Webster

Hannah is responsible for social media and communications, and will likely be the first person you speak to if you get in touch with us.

Hannah has recently completed a degree in Business and Management at the University of Sussex. She manages our social media accounts and email inboxes, as well as helping out on development projects.

Outside of work, Hannah enjoys socialising with her friends and going out walking. You’ll find her happiest with a large cup of tea and a packet of biscuits.

PHIL HALSON

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AMBER MILLER

Amber is a talented graphic designer and an expert on accessibility. She can put her skills to anything creative, working with the Adobe suite to make courses, materials and collateral look attractive and professional.
 
Amber is involved with the local Autism Strategy and creating the local autism resource website. In her free time, Amber trains her rescue dog, Scout and she also enjoys learning Spanish and coding.
 
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GARY FITZHUGH

With 20 years of creative experience, Gary brings a wealth of knowledge and skills in everything design, from print to video and 3D to web. As our motion graphics lead, he brings content to life through attractive and engaging videos and animations.

When he’s not busying himself at work, Gary enjoys long walks with his dog, running, snowboarding and watching an unhealthy amount of YouTube.
 
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KAYLEIGH MESSINGER

Kayleigh is formerly a physiotherapist with a background in digital media. This means she is extremely versatile and can also use her Learning Design, Articulate and Adobe skills to work across all areas of the business.

Kayleigh is an English Kiwi, who loves travel and adventure. When she isn’t out and about with her friends and family, she can be found chilling at home with her partner and her cat, Pickles, where she enjoys creating art, reading and baking.

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MATT GARVEY

Matt has an extensive background in the service industry enabling him to work across all areas of our business. He works primarily with the development team on Storyline projects, but he also leads our audio/visual work, managing our voiceover roster and producing our AV assets.
 
Matt is an avid reader, who loves queuing up the next thing to enrich his mind. He is also a gamer with his own YouTube channel, where he reviews retro-inspired video-games, as well as being a keen runner and keep-fit enthusiast.
 

CHARLOTTE SIDDALL

Charlotte brings a background in media production and content creation. She is another versatile member of our team, able to apply her skills and experience to an array of tasks, including storyboarding and course development.

Charlotte enjoys watching horror films (despite being terrified half the time), scenic walks around National Parks, yoga and reading whatever she can get her hands on.

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CLAUDINO MONTEIRO

Claudino has 8 years of experience as a digital media designer and is an expert in Articulate Storyline. Heading up our development team, Claudino ensures all of our courses are interactive, accessible and functional. He is also a skilled designer and illustrator, so substance is always with style.
 
As a new dad, Claudino spends a lot of his spare time playing with his son. When not doing that, he enjoys cooking (he’s a major foodie) and playing video games.
 
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RACHEL MURRAY

Rachel is a former teacher with a wide range of talents. She specialises in learning design and development in Articulate 360. She was our first employee so knows the business inside out and will be able to help with anything you need!

Rachel is at her happiest when spending time with family, reading her kindle, singing badly to loud music or drawing up pretty things on her iPad.

Phil Spokes

Phil is responsible for the smooth running of the business and ensuring the team and our partners are all kept happy.

Phil has 12 years of training and project management experience and specialises in digital learning design, development and delivery. As the company director, he is responsible for ensuring that our values are upheld, and the team have everything they need to provide an unbeatable service.

Phil enjoys travelling, road trips, dog walks in the woods and is a long-time season ticket holder at Northampton Town FC. He also enjoys volunteering with schools and is a STEM Ambassador and the Enterprise Advisor for Billing Brook School.

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Linda Kalnina

Linda has nearly a decade of experience working in education and has postgraduate qualifications in creative industries. She leads the creative design team throughout the design process, from creation of concept to completion of course designs and animations.

Linda loves outdoor adventures and has led expeditions across Europe. She enjoys yoga and dog walks, or just keeping cosy with good coffee and good music.

Dr. Mark Spokes

Mark brings over a decade of experience in academic leadership within international higher education, specialising in digital teaching and learning. 

Mark is a qualified psychotherapist and expedition leader. He is often found on a mountain or in a forest.