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Phoneta: Flexible working = stronger service
Based in Cornwall and supporting clients across the UK and beyond, Phoneta is a remarkable example of how flexibility and resilience can shape a thriving modern business. With a dedicated team of over 50 staff and a commitment to providing 24/7 telephone answering and lone worker support, the company has built adaptability into its core. From embracing homeworking and smart scheduling tools to empowering staff to work in ways that suit their lives, Phoneta shows how thoughtful, people‑centred decisions can strengthen continuity, widen access to employment, and deliver truly dependable service -day and night, all year round.
Why does flexible work matter for you?
Phoneta must cover shifts around the clock and manage fluctuating call volumes. Flexible working allows them to:
- Staff short or irregular shifts
- Maintain continuous service
- Recruit people who may struggle with traditional 9–5 roles
How do you implement flexibility?
Phoneta supports flexibility through:
- Homeworking options
- Software that tracks staff availability and allocates shifts
- A generally adaptable approach to work patterns
Did the flexible model benefit your business?
Flexibility has helped Phoneta:
- Recruit a wider range of people
- Ensure availability during nights, weekends, and bank holidays
- Improve service for clients who rely on extended coverage
What does business resilience mean for you?
Because Phoneta never closes, resilience is essential. They maintain:
- An onsite generator
- Multiple backup internet providers
- A fully trained workforce (everyone, including Anthony, can answer calls)
- Flexible staffing to ensure someone is always available
What advice would you give to businesses looking to introduce more flexible working?
The first and most important step is to sit down with employees and talk through what flexibility would look like for them. It needs to be a two‑way discussion to ensure it genuinely works for the team. Flexibility also needs to align with the business model.
What challenges did you encounter when introducing flexibility and resilience? Is there anything you would do differently.
Early challenges included monitoring flexible work and finding the right technology to support variable rotas. Looking back, Anthony says they would have implemented homeworking much earlier; COVID-19 forced them to develop a homeworking system in just five days, which ultimately improved the business long term.
Can you share an example of how staff flexibility helped you overcome a challenge?
Staff adaptability has been crucial during major events such as:
- The 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak
- The Cornwall eclipse (when surgeries closed and Phoneta handled all calls)
- The COVID-19 pandemic, where they ensured continuity for clients under intense pressure
During each event, Phoneta’s flexibility and readiness allowed them to maintain essential services and support organisations that depended on them.
Phoneta’s story shows that flexibility isn’t a quick fix or a trend.
It’s the result of listening to people, adapting systems, and building a workplace that can respond to real‑world pressures. By putting staff well-being and service continuity at the centre of their model, Phoneta continues to prove how flexible working can strengthen both a team and the customers who rely on them
