Three years ago, I developed a habit. I thought I’d only ever do it once, then tried a few more times, remaining adamant that it was something I could take or leave. I hardly noticed it sneak up on me until suddenly it was the first and last thing on my mind each day. 

At the beginning I kept it entirely separate from my full-time job, hearing myself downplay things: “It really isn’t a big deal, just something I do now and again”. I knew my employer at the time wouldn’t have understood, or offered me the support that I needed, if I admitted how quickly things had escalated. 

Today, the impact of my “extra-curricular activities” are impossible to hide. I’ve shown up late, left early, popped out the office at all times of day or taken an entire day off to get my fix. To my surprise, my employers at Saffery Trust have no problem with what I’m doing; in fact, they are my biggest enablers. 

It is thanks to Saffery Trust that I have accepted the reality: My name is Poppy Murray, and campaigning for public safety has taken over my life. 

What started as one Facebook post in March 2021 has evolved rapidly into delivering weekly online presentations, travelling around the UK running training sessions and regularly attending meetings and interviews. On the face of it, my campaign schedule is not, in any way, conducive to being a valuable full-time member of staff, but at Saffery Trust it works. 

While some firms claim to offer flexible hours, there is often an asterisk after “flexible” detailing mandatory core hours or a compulsory number of days in the office per week.

Our flexible working policy, in my view, is unmatched. With no core-hour restrictions, the ability to work from anywhere (thanks to a remote desktop, laptop and even monitors, keyboards and mouse for a full out of office set-up if wanted) and a healthy work-life balance being championed from the top-down, Saffery Trust offers flexibility with no holds barred. 

From the Metropolitan Police and City of London Crime Prevention Association to Tesco Mobile and the Chelsea FC Foundation, I can honestly say that I would not have been able to present my campaign to any other organisation without utilising Saffery Trust’s flexible working policy. 

In addition to affording me the opportunities to put time into rolling out the campaign, Saffery Trust also became the first business in the Channel Islands to educate its staff on the campaign message surrounding personal safety and sponsored the delivery of self-defence classes for the public. 

To me, this is indicative of an employer that not only enables its staff to make a difference but takes opportunities to help those efforts reach new heights. 

Flexibility at Saffery Trust has also extended to my role as the firm’s Content Creator, with the freedom to explore innovative content ideas and create my own career path. 

The label of ‘enabler’ often has negative connotations, for example enabling addicts to continue in harmful behaviour. However, enabling people to do something positive – including creating their own healthy work-life balances - is incredibly powerful and I proud to say that Saffery Trust has enabled me.