AXA Diaries: Meet Ned

At AXA, we want our colleagues to have the freedom to work in the way that's best for them, whether that’s flexible hours, working from abroad, or taking advantage of paid leave. We spoke to Ned Murray, Strategy Manager for AXA Retail, who has been making the most of the flexibility that AXA offers to spend more time with his partner and their new baby. 

How have you changed the way you work to create a better work-life balance since your new arrival? 
“I’ve recently started condensing my working hours into four and a half days. Now I spend my Friday mornings looking after my daughter and giving my partner (who’s still on maternity leave) a break.  

I’m also much more disciplined around my working hours now as I look after my daughter before and after work. When I’m working from the office I always try and be back for bath and bedtime. 

When my partner returns to work, I’ll be taking two months on shared parental leave. When I come back to work, I’ll condense my hours a little further so that I have all of Friday to care for Roxie.” 

Do you think the way that we look at gender roles and parenting is changing? 
“Yes and I think the reasons are two-fold. There’s now more equality in the workplace (although there remains progress to be made on representation in senior positions and equal pay). I also think our working culture in financial services has become more inclusive and understanding of different personal situations, and this is helping more men to make the most of parental leave and flexible working opportunities. 

The idea of the 9-5, five-day week no longer works for many people’s lives today, especially where it is largely not possible for couples to live on one salary. It’s great that forward-thinking businesses like AXA are improving support more through initiatives like ‘We Care’.” 

We Care is a global initiative that supports our ambition of AXA UK&I being a place where people love to work. It includes access to increased paid co-parent leave, as well as additional support for fertility treatment, carers and people affected by domestic abuse. 

What’s the number one tip you’d give your past self about becoming a new parent? 
“Spend as much time as you can with them while they’re very little. They change so quickly. It’s human instinct to want the next stage of their development to come along quickly in the hope of better sleep and being able to do new activities with them, but time passes so quickly.” 

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