38. Flexa – putting flexible first for job seekers

Founders: Molly Johnson-Jones and Maurice O’Brien
Year founded: 2019
Website: flexa.careers

Flexa cofounder Molly Johnson-Jones had about as clear a lightbulb moment for her business as they come. “I was fired from my investment banking role just ten days after I asked to work from home to accommodate my autoimmune condition, which causes pain and leaves me unable to walk at times.”

Her subsequent job hunt was fraught with anxiety thanks to the lack of transparency she found around companies’ flexible working policies. The vague offers of ‘flexibility’ she did come across on job ads landed her in roles where she had to make ‘special requests’ to work differently, and was made to feel alienated for doing so. 

At the same time, Johnson-Jones’ partner (and now business partner) Maurice O’Brien was having similar difficulties looking for a new role. Having experienced genuine flexibility in his previous job, O’Brien wasn’t prepared to sacrifice flexible working in his next.

So, together with Tim Leppard, they cofounded Flexa, a jobs marketplace that gives true transparency to job-seekers on the flexibility offered by would-be employers. “We wanted to create a platform where workers could find companies that truly aligned with their exact working needs and preferences,” Johnson-Jones explains.

Flexa is now relied on by over two million workers to find the right role for them, and the platform works with the likes of Centrica, O2, Mars UK and Virgin Media, helping them to showcase their working environments and employer brands.

The Flexa team are determined to empower job hunters who want to see past the vague claims on job ads about being ‘open to flexible working’ on paper, from businesses who still favour their staff being in office. 

“It makes it really difficult for those who rely on flexible working – such as individuals with health needs, disabilities and childcare responsibilities to find employers who genuinely offer the working environments they want and need.” 

With over £2.6m in funding secured, and over 200 businesses now signed up to the Flexa platform, Johnson-Jones and the team have some serious growth in their sights. 

“We built Flexa to empower workers to discover employers who genuinely offer the working setup, culture and benefits they need to thrive.”

Flexible work is here to stay. But, with multiple businesses pushing back and some huge global names hitting workers with return to office mandates, it’s a canny time for a business like Flexa to empower job-seekers to find roles that truly meet their flexible requirements.