Flexible Service: Lance Corporal Kelly Hawthorne
Flexible Service gives me more precious time with my 3-year-old daughter and has helped to provide a calmer, more balanced lifestyle for both of us.
Lance Corporal Kelly Hawthorne with her daughter Gracie. MOD Crown Copyright.
I’ve served for 17 years, so as you can imagine, the army is a big part of my life. I started my career in 2003 as a regular. 5 years later I moved into civilian employment but continued my service with the Reserves. In 2014, I re-joined into full-time regular service in the Dental Corps. In my current role as a dental nurse, I assist with treating patients in a clinical environment and I manage bookings and patient’s records.
While I was on maternity leave, I heard about the armed forces’ Flexible Duties Trial that was testing the concept of Flexible Service. I kept a close eye on the trial because I could see how part-time working could make a real difference to the amount of time my child and I would get to spend together.
When I returned to full-time service after maternity leave, I didn’t feel like I got to spend much time with my daughter, Gracie. This feeling was magnified because Gracie would visit her dad on alternate weekends. Working full-time as a single parent made life pressured but manageable, but I felt like Gracie and I were missing out on spending time together during her magical early years.
The possibility of reducing the amount of time I served by 20%, so that Gracie and I could have that 1 extra day together each week, was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass. The 20% pay reduction seemed fair and affordable, especially when balanced against not having to pay the childcare costs for that day.
Flexible Service is enabling Gracie and I to spend more time together when we need it most, has relieved some of the pressures in my life, and has reduced the stress of the balancing act. My 3-year Flexible Service arrangement takes me up until the end of my current assignment and up until Gracie starts school, when I expect to return to full-time service.
I think that policies like Flexible Service will help people to continue to serve when their circumstances change. There are limits of course; for example, applications are considered against the operational needs of the unit and the Service, and individuals can take a maximum of 4-years of Flexible Service in a 12-year period. This means Defence can continue to fulfil its purpose and keep the full-time ethos of military service intact, while offering flexibilities that are common in civilian employment.