Flexibility has long been part of the story BT Group tells about working in customer operations. Colleagues could earn time back. Managers wanted to support work–life balance. The intent was right. The experience, however, was less so.

Flexi-time relied on a manual, office-based process. Requests moved between people. Judgement calls were made under pressure and visibility was limited. What should have felt empowering often introduced delay, inconsistency and friction, for colleagues, team leaders and planners alike. Flexibility existed, but it didn’t flow.

As BT reflected on its wider workforce and colleague experience ambitions, a simple but powerful question emerged. If flexibility is meant to support people, why does it feel so hard to use?

Read more