Learning tech company’s remote-first model sees 113% increase in employee satisfaction

by HRHQ Editorial Team

A Belfast learning technology company has seen employee satisfaction rise by 113% after introducing a remote-first working model.

Synergy Learning consulted employees in early 2021 on their workplace preferences, including their thoughts on remote working. The findings of the research led to the company moving to a remote-first approach for the team, while also investing more than £500,000 in a new collaborative hub so employees still have a space to come together if they wish to.

Since the remote-first working model was implemented, 100% of Synergy Learning’s team have varied their hours to suit out of work activities and caring responsibilities, with 15% varying their patterns daily, and all with no discernible drop in productivity. In the past twelve months, an Employee Net Satisfaction Survey shows employee satisfaction within the 1Team has increased by 113%.

Synergy Learning’s promotion of a remote-first, flexible and asynchronous way of working started in early 2020, following the closure of the company’s former offices in Holywood during the early stages of the pandemic. Over the last three years, the company’s flexible, remote-first business model has maximised the use of technology to create a workflow that frees up time and encourages people to prioritise tasks when they feel most focused, allowing them to spend more quality time on other tasks in an appropriate environment.

Speaking on how the company’s remote-first approach has allowed her flexibility for family life, Rebecca Henson, Implementation Consultant at Synergy Learning, said: “Remote, flexible working has transformed my family’s life. Having the flexibility to work around school runs and events means I can pursue my career and give work my full attention without compromising the time I spend with my son.”

The £500,000 investment in Autumn 2021 supported the opening of the company’s state-of-the-art Hub, located at the Catalyst Innovation Centre in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, and has contributed to the development of Synergy Learning’s remote-first, asynchronous working model.

While remote onboarding requires innovative approaches, being geographically agnostic when it comes to recruitment has positively benefited Synergy Learning, particularly with more specialist roles. Over the last 12 months, the workforce at the company has become more diverse, with employees spread across the UK & Ireland. There has also been an increase in LGBTQ+ and female representation in the company.