News • 14/07/25
‘Business not as usual’: what it means to break the ‘rules’ of work
Our co-founders know a thing or two when it comes to running a business ‘not’ as usual, and they’re not afraid to make it known.
Whether it’s flexible working, salary transparency or generally rejecting workplace ‘rules’ that no longer make sense, they’re not afraid to shout about the highs and lows of going against the grain.
Why? Because part of Jack & Grace’s mission is to do good work for good clients, and the other is to good by our people and make work, work better.
Recently, Nyree’s been busy voicing her views on breaking up with the ‘rules’ of work on various podcasts and blogs, and so we thought we’d share a few golden nuggets from these conversations.
So, what do we actually mean when we talk about breaking up with the rules of work?
Flexible working
“We offer all roles part-time as standard, which is often met with shock by other business leaders – but to me, the more shocking and odd thing is that someone, somewhere once decided jobs needed to fit into 37.5 hours a week. And now that’s just the rule. To me, that’s madness.”
But why is it madness? We all have lives to lead, and sometimes those don’t fit into a rigid 9-5 schedule. Whether it’s caring responsibilities, children, hobbies or something else. Jack & Grace is built on the principle of flexible working and all roles are offered part-time as standard, with no assumption that full-time is the goal.
Nyree recently spoke with Rob on A Little Bit Radical Podcast, discussing offering flexibility as the norm, not the exception, and why that still seems to blow people’s minds.
Rewriting the rules
Most of us are taught how to fit into outdated or broken systems that were never designed with real people in mind, but we stand strong on the belief that companies should be built around people, not job titles.
Becoming a parent and navigating the rigid systems of the corporate world led Nyree and Laura to build a better one instead. Nyree talks more about this with Beth Taylor on The Passionate Pioneer Podcast, which is available here.
In another conversation with Cathleen O’Sullivan on The Legendary Leaders Podcast, she also got into the stuff most leaders avoid talking about, like miscarriage, menopause, and the messy, human things that are still weirdly taboo in a work environment.
We have a menopause and period policy to give you the power and permission to request adjustments at work, a pregnancy loss policy to offer emotional and practical support, and help for difficult circumstances, like caring responsibilities. We’ve broken the mould of what would be considered ‘normal’, in order to put people first.
For Nyree, rewriting the rules isn’t about being radical for the sake of it, it’s about creating space for honesty, empathy, and real change in how we work and lead.
Parents returning to work
For working parents, flexible working as standard is vital. Those early months are life-altering, yet most companies expect a return to work like nothing’s changed.
We’ve tried to unpick many of these old workplace ‘rules’ – we support and flex with our employees and what they need. Building flexibility in from the beginning means starting a family doesn’t come with a career penalty, guilt, or an expectation to carry on as you were before.
Salary transparency
As Nyree shared with LATTE on LinkedIn, “Salary secrecy is inequality’s best friend, they prop each other up.” At Jack & Grace, we publish salary bands for every role – it removes the awkwardness, second-guessing, and creates a level playing field for all employees, especially for people who’ve previously been left out of pay conversations altogether.
So next time you come across an unquestioned ‘rule’, take a moment to consider its purpose, and have the courage to challenge it. If you’re toying with the idea of ditching business-as-usual, hit play on the episodes above, and dive in!
All episodes:
