One of 9fin’s values is “family and health come first” – but how do we implement this in practice?

We caught up with Tom Hudson, senior software engineer, to hear about his experience with 9fin’s paternity leave as he became a dad for a second time.

Hi Tom, can you tell us about your role?

I’m a senior software engineer on the back-end team. The back-end is responsible for the data storage and the systems that work behind the scenes of our product.

What you see as you navigate the platform is front-end work. The back-end focuses on systems that help us source data, use it responsibly and consistently, and maintain performance of the platform.

I joined 9fin in October 2021 and I'm really enjoying my experience here so far. I went on paternity leave when my second child was born — I have a daughter, who is two, and a son who is a few months old.

What are the realities for a working parent, and how can flexible working have an impact?

9fin’s flexible approach allows me to spend more time with my daughter. The business’ core hours are between 10am and 3pm, so people can work around their commitments.

For me, 6pm is the cut-off point when it comes to working hours — this is the time I spend making dinner for my daughter, and running the bedtime routine.

As a parent there are windows of time I need to operate around, and being able to work flexibly is invaluable. It speaks volumes of the trust we’ve built with each other in the business.

Beyond this, there’s an element of chaos that comes with having now two small children in the house! These benefits may seem small but they make a massive difference.

Can you give us an example of a small give that has a big impact?

The flexible working policy has a huge impact. If I was working 9am to 6pm every day in the office, we would struggle — especially with two kids to manage.

For the first couple of weeks after our second child was born, my wife needed help around the house, as she was still recovering.

It doesn’t affect my work whatsoever to step away from the laptop and help her lift something onto a table, for example, but it’s of huge help to her.

This wouldn’t be possible if 9fin made in-office work compulsory.

We’ve been certified by Flexa, a platform that discovers and highlights employers with the best working environments.

Tell us about your experience with 9fin’s paternity leave.

My son was born on a Monday, and I had already tied up any loose ends and handed over my work on the Friday.

I had four weeks fully paid to spend with my family, which was incredible — especially as it was over the Christmas period, so I had even more time to enjoy the festivities with my family.

How do flexible working and paternity leave help you work more effectively in the long run?

The time I save from commuting for starters, is a huge win. That hour I would’ve spent commuting, I can spend on household chores, or with the kids.

Flexible working also gives me the freedom to live somewhere that’s further away from the office and closer to our extended family. My children have the opportunity to spend more time with their grandparents, aunts and uncles, which wouldn’t be as common an occurrence if I were tethered to a full-time office role.

9fin’s flexibility is hugely important for me, because this alongside inclusive benefits like enhanced paternity leave demonstrate that the business cares about quality of life for its employees.

Thanks to these benefits I can walk my daughter to nursery, and pick her up from nursery. All she’s ever known is a dad at home sticking to these routines, and that’s massive in terms of the relationship it helps me build with my kids.

Thanks for sharing, Tom. Finally, do you have any highlights of your two worlds colliding?

The one that springs to mind is when I had my daughter sit in on our weekly project planning meeting!

It just so happened that there was no-one who could pick her up from nursery that day, with so many obstacles cropping up, so I picked her up and then had her sit in on my meeting with the engineering team.

I’m in the middle of this meeting, with Thomas the Tank Engine playing in the background, she’s eating and playing – and everyone on the call was so receptive and accommodating to my unexpected guest.

There was a really nice warmth and understanding in the meeting towards the way things don’t always work out as planned. It goes to show that flexibility is one thing, but the way we embrace it as a business is what makes it special.

When we say flexible working, we mean flexible working. Want to join a business that offers inclusive benefits? We’re hiring – check out our careers page here.