Where flexible working is always welcome, even from different time zones

If a team member asked to work overseas permanently, many employers would see it as a flexible-working request too far. Yet one Lancashire business leader says that having a team spread across the UK and abroad enables them to deliver a better service to their clients.

According to Alison Grady, managing director of Burscough-based creative audio-visual production company Redolution, having colleagues in different time zones is anything but a drawback.

The company, which specialises in creating adverts for TV, radio and digital, has a flexible workforce in the UK and overseas, including in Morecambe, Blackburn, Hemel Hempstead, Hull and London as well as Thailand, Greece and Romania.

Alison says: “Far from it being something to try to hide or muddle through, I feel that having a team which is spread across times zones, in the UK and overseas, is a real asset for us.

“My husband and I, creative director Damian, are based in Burscough, and our third director Ritchie lives in Thailand, some seven hours ahead.

“It means that we can start a project during the day and then pass it to Ritchie who can work on it during our night-time.

“When we log on in the morning the project has been progressed and we might already be in a position to feed back to clients. It means we can provide a much faster turnaround and more responsive service than if we were all based in the same office.”

“We’ve always been a very tech-savvy organisation. Our work is centred around cloud-based software so it simply doesn’t make any difference to us where we are based. All our team members need is a computer and a good internet connection.

“In fact, when Covid hit, it took us 15 minutes to make the switch to home working. We didn’t miss a beat: we simply picked up our laptops and went home.”

Alison puts some of her flexible attitude and willingness to embrace change down to her participation in the Lancashire Forum, a leadership development programme from Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) as part of Boost, Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub.

“We have certainly had an interesting time since the pandemic began.

“As Covid took hold, we could see straight away the implications for us as a business: demand for big-screen adverts would disappear as cinemas closed, and lockdown would make filming with actors and crew impossible.

“However, thanks to taking part in the Forum we had already started using the Business Model Canvas, which allowed us to produce our business plan on a single sheet of paper. It’s so simple and visual that we could see could see straight away that, by switching to create animations, we could continue to make films that clients could use across all their channels, without any need for studios, crew or actors. And that’s exactly what we did.

“In short, we reinvented ourselves. Participating in the Forum gave me the clarity to see where we could pivot and the confidence to drive that change forward - Redolution 2.0 we called it. As a result, we survived and are now growing again.”

The Lancashire Forum is designed to help leaders of Lancashire-based SMEs who want to build businesses that focus on both profit and purpose. It helps them navigate change, including recovering from the pandemic and the end of the Brexit transition period. It is fully funded for Lancashire businesses that employ between three and 250 full-time employees and which have a turnover of less than €50m (or equivalent in GBP).

The next Lancashire Forum cohort begins on 29 September 2021 and will combine face-to-face and online sessions. For more information visit the Lancaster University Management School website.

Enjoyed this? Read more from Lancaster University Management School

Latest news

1

VARS Technology team up with debt resolution specialists to fight fuel theft David Nichol John Garnett Aydan Jones and Laura Tilley

VARS Technology team up with debt resolution specialists to fight fuel theft

12 Sep 2025

2

University of Lancashire unveils Preston campus installation to celebrate name change University of Lancashire new feature

University of Lancashire unveils Preston campus installation to celebrate name change

12 Sep 2025

3

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake Lucy Field, Kate Walsh, Ellie Fisher, Zainab Aswat, Reece Jones, Aisha Bibi Patel, Finley Vila, Uzair Zariwala, Richard Prest, and Charlie Harrison

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake

11 Sep 2025

4

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment Andrew Grove

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment

11 Sep 2025

5

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November Gary McEwan managing director of Interfloor

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November

10 Sep 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs
Sub36 Deaf Village Social1200
Networking
17 Sep 2025

Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs

The Deaf Village, Blackburn, BB2 5EN

10:00 - 12:00

LBV124 September/October Launch Event
MBP Arc Cinema Preston Opening 205
Networking
18 Sep 2025

LBV124 September/October Launch Event

The Arc Cinema, Preston, PR1 2BL

08:30 - 10:30

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Longridge Soap Box Derby
Screenshot 2025-06-10 090035.png.png
LBV Hub Fundraisers
14 Sep 2025 - 14 Sep 2025

Longridge Soap Box Derby

Berry Lane, Longridge, PR3 3WH

10:00 - 16:30

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!
Preston Tech Connection Sept 25.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Sep 2025 - 16 Sep 2025

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
17 Sep 2025 - 17 Sep 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Cumbria Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880461633-4862066883-1-original.20241022-110415.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
19 Sep 2025 - 19 Sep 2025

Cumbria Business Expo 2025

Carlisle Racecourse, Carlisle, CA2 4TS

09:00 - 15:00

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September
Sept Freelancer (1).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation
Chorley Council breakfast event new
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

Worden Hall, Leyland, PR25 3DH

08:00 - 11:00

Speed Networking with BNI
2.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
24 Sep 2025 - 24 Sep 2025

Speed Networking with BNI

Chorley Football Club, Chorley, PR7 3DU

16:00 - 19:00

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire - September
TMM Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
25 Sep 2025 - 25 Sep 2025

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire - September

Chorley, PR7 2SL

18:00 - 20:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV 123 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin