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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. We’re committed to fostering a balanced work culture where the demands of a growing business coexist with employee wellbeing. As a start-up that has rapidly evolved into a scale-up, we’re aware that our culture and policies must continually adapt to support our growing team, and we are actively reviewing our practices to ensure everyone feels valued and respected. We truly appreciate the opportunity to learn from each team member’s experience and insights as we continue to grow. However, it’s also important to clarify certain points that may not accurately reflect our practices.
Overtime at Free Soul is never mandatory, when employees do choose to work additional hours, they receive compensation in either pay or time off in lieu. We understand the importance of work-life balance and offer flexible working hours so that team members can manage their schedules in a way that suits their personal and professional lives. Many of the team love our office space, and therefore choose to be here often, however, whether new or established, employees are only required to come into the office three days per week—not four. This policy applies universally, regardless of probation status, and is designed to maintain flexibility while fostering collaboration.
Our goal is to create a welcoming and supportive environment for new employees, and we encourage them to connect with their assigned Buddy. We will review this system to ensure it’s consistently providing the warm welcome it’s meant to.
Regarding turnover, while some teams have seen changes as part of our growth, it’s not accurate to say turnover is high across all departments, as several departments within Free Soul have had zero turnover.
On the topic of professionalism and security, we’ve been in the process of onboarding a dedicated IT team to audit and enhance all data security practices over the past months, and are continuing this commitment to ensure we're maintaining high standards for data privacy.
With regard to career progression at Free Soul, we always aim to prioritise internal growth and value the opportunity to recognise and promote talent from within. We understand that rapid advancement can raise questions, but it is only ever undertaken when truly deserved, based on demonstrated skills, commitment, and impact.
We are committed to ensuring all leaders are equipped with the training and support needed to manage teams effectively. Constructive, respectful management is something we take very seriously, and we have recently invested in leadership training to support the professional development of our senior team members.
We recognise that evolving from a start-up of eight people to a team of 30 has come with challenges, and what worked for a small group may not always translate to a larger one. Since the very beginning it has always been our aim to make Free Soul a truly special brand to work for. We want each employee to feel genuinely happy, excited to make a difference, and to maintain balance outside of the office. We have always listened and learned from all feedback we receive and will continue to do so, to ensure our work environment reflects our commitment to wellbeing and respect.
Thank you again for your feedback—it helps us continuously work to create an even better workplace for our team. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours and thank you again for your time at Free Soul.
