Anyone who works while bringing up children or caring for a relative knows just how important flexible hours and a thoughtful boss can be.

But parents and carers are not the only people who need, or value, work-life balance. Helen Humphrey, 42, the vice-president of national operations at McDonald’s in the UK, does not have children but appreciates the opportunity to tailor how and where she works around her partner, her studying and her love of music.

For a start, she is based in London, where she has a flat, but her home is in South Wales. “I spend three or four days a week in London and visit other parts of the country as well,” she says.

Being able to adjust her hours, by starting early or late, helps, as does her mobile phone. “There are times when I will leave at 4pm knowing I can work as I am driving home.” There is no pressure on her to be at her desk for a set amount of time as long as she gets the job done.

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Technological help goes beyond mobile phones and laptops. Humphrey is a member of a number of European teams, and used to have to allocate a day for a three-hour meeting overseas. “Now we use webcasts and save all the travelling time.”

This flexibility helps Humphrey to spend time with her partner and to get to concerts. “Music is my passion,” she says. On top of that, she has been able to study for a range of qualifications.

Mixing work and study is something that she knows very well. She joined McDonald’s at 16 and worked part time through A levels and university. Initially it was a way of funding a car – “Mum and dad said they would buy me a car if I ran it” – but it gradually turned into a career. “I had been there about a year when they started giving me more responsibility.

“I found that I could be as flexible as I needed to be. I could do extra shifts if I wanted more money or less if I had lots of study,” she says.

This flexibility is just as valuable for women working in the chain’s restaurant today, she says, as they can take shifts that fit around the school day or their childcare commitments.

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