We are flexible workplace accredited!
Rosie started Accountability Edinburgh when she had a preschooler and toddler twins. Her mum was in hospital living with stroke induced dementia – and she needed more flexibility to work than her employer could give her.
Today – 14 years later, we are very happy to be among one of the first 10 companies in the UK to be accredited as a flexible employer and the FIRST accounting practice(!)
This was the passion project of Nikki Slower and Lisa Gallagher, co-founders of Flexibility Works.
In partnership with a fantastic advisory board, the Scottish Government and funded by the Robertson Trust – this accreditation has been developed. It is a robust framework looking at the entire organisation. And the accreditation relies on employees telling their stories of real impact.
We believe very strongly that if you place trust in your team – and explore all that flex can offer – that this will pay dividends.
We are delighted to have achieved this award – and it really fills our hearts with pride for the impact we’ve had on the lives of our team.
The Pilot
We first heard of the Flexible Working Accreditation from Flexibility Works. We have worked together on a couple of case studies previously – being ‘pandemic-driven flexible working is here to stay’ and ‘when flex works’.
Nikki reached out to us in August 2025, and we jumped at the chance to be involved in the FlexMark pilot, a new way for organisations to show how well they support flexible working – and to find ways to do even better.
The Process
Everyone was invited to take part in a short, anonymous survey about their experience of flexible working at Accountability.
Some colleagues were also selected by Flexibility Works and invited to a focus group – this was completely optional and offered a chance to share more detailed views.
The FlexMark assessor also reviewed some documents and information, such as job adverts and other key data, to build a full picture of Accountability’s approach to flexible working.
The Report
The framework assessed us against 4 themes: Culture, Transparency and Communication, Impact, Management and Leadership. We were delighted to see that in 6 out of a total 11 categories, we exceeded accreditation and were rated ‘excellence’. This is reserved for those organisations who are trailblazing when it comes to flexible working!
We wanted to share the summary in our report:
“Accountability Edinburgh has achieved FlexMark accreditation, demonstrating a strong commitment to flexible working and establishing itself as a leader within the accounting industry. Flexibility is deeply embedded in the organisation’s culture, underpinned by high levels of trust, inclusivity and positive impacts on wellbeing and retention.
Staff value the broad range of flexible options available – including hybrid working, flexible start and finish times, compressed hours, part-time roles, and the ability to tailor working patterns to individual needs. This inclusive approach supports staff for a variety of reasons, such as parenting, study, health, commuting or personal preference, and is reinforced by approachable leadership and clear organisation values. Staff feel empowered to shape their working patterns, and the organisation’s approach is seen as fair and consistent.”
The accreditation is valid for two years and positions us among the first organisations to achieve FlexMark status.
Rosie and Rachel attended the accreditation launch event in Glasgow in April 2026 – and it was lovely to meet the other 9 accredited organisations and hear from speakers about how they benefit from flex. Thank you to Nikki, Lisa, Karen & the team at Flexibility Works for thinking of us. We couldn’t be prouder to be an accredited flex employer.
