WHEN Expand took the brave step of introducing flexible working, initial fears were that it was a huge error.

During the first week, desks in its Brighton office were sitting empty at 9.30am while some staff were leaving at 4pm.

“It felt alien and we feared we had made a massive mistake”, senior partner and managing director Samantha Maxwell-Reed explained.

Yet it soon become clear a remarkable transformation in business performance had taken place.

Flexible working was revolutionising how the international recruitment and head hunting business did its job.

And it soon led on to another question.

“If working nine to five no longer applies, then why should we have a limiting annual leave policy?” Samantha said.

“Now it’s time for the next leap of faith with unlimited holiday.”

The idea may seem far-fetched but Expand would not be the first to consider such a scheme.

Richard Branson, an inspiration for many an aspiring entrepreneur, revealed in 2014 that he would be offering his 170 personal staff as much holiday as they wanted.

In Branson's case, the policy was based on the assumption is that staff only take holiday when they feel comfortable that they and their team are up to date on every project, and that their absence will not in any way damage the business.

The Virgin boss got the idea from Silicon Valley success story Netflix, which introduced the policy way back in 2004.

For Expand, unlimited holiday is merely an extension of its flexible hours scheme, and part of a culture that aims to foster trust - as well as health and wellbeing.

Samantha said: "We want to offer colleagues the freedom to make a responsible choice that allows them a great work-life balance outside of this. "Flexibility does not translate to a lack of accountability. We are confident that high performance is so ingrained in Expand's culture that we can trust the team to act responsibly."

While Expand is not a lifestyle business, the working culture is considered intrinsic to achieving the SME's business objectives.

In 2015 it achieved 36 per cent organic growth, thanks to innovative services for clients internationally.

This year is set to be equally exciting with the opening of a new office in San Francisco - the home of Netflix.

While the company's mantra is currently “Good people make great business”, Samantha believes it could be time for upgrade to “Happy people make fantastic business.”

But how did the radical idea come about?

Samantha explained: "One of our staff took a month off in 2015 for an extended holiday. This meant he had 43 days of leave. He worked hard before and after, appreciating the opportunity, He still hit annual objectives.

"Once we saw that, Expand’s partners voted to launch it."

Inevitably, some rules are necessary to ensure the policy works.

She said: "We aim to keep it as policy-free as we can, but some guidelines are required. Paid time off or personal time off will need to be requested ten days in advance and will need to be co-ordinated by each team director to stop everyone being off at once."

Are there any pitfalls? Could the policy put additional pressure on staff to prove to their managers they work sufficiently hard for the company?

"We have operated flexible working for two years and it had nothing but a positive impact on people with regard to achieving work-life balance and we hope this is an extension of the same philosophy", Samantha said.

"Our team do work hard and take their responsibilities seriously but we trust them. With the 'always on' business culture that has become so prevalent today, counting hours attended isn't relevant anymore - however much we encourage people to turn their phones off. So why count days off?

"Collaboration will be key but we feel confident from the reaction of our people so far, that this has created a sense of freedom and appreciation that is welcome. I believe that businesses need to totally change the way they engage."

Unsurprisingly, the move has been popular with staff - though not necessarily for obvious reasons.

Melica Moshiri, a delivery consultant, said: "Unlimited holiday is certainly a good way to incentivise me to work super hard that could bolster my work output. I appreciate the trust and flexibility expand gives me in completing my workload and planning my time-off."

Senior consultant Sam Howse added: “We love this benefit but not for the obvious reason - it is the commitment and trust being given by our employers which allows the ambition to grow within all employees to deliver the best business they can for the company and even more importantly for the individual - enabling us to expand our integrity and enjoy the time off even more as it will be well deserved.”

But despite the idealism behind the idea not everyone is convinced it will work on a practical level.

Fiona Martin, director and head of employment law at Martin Searle Solicitors, said: "It’s a great idea, but I’m not sure how this concept, which we heard about from Virgin, is implemented. Is it for all - or just those who have worked for the company for some time and how much is paid or unpaid and can requests be turned down?

"If someone applied for a six month holiday would they automatically get it and would they be paid? Employees had the option of taking additional unpaid parental leave, but this was not taken up, mainly because unpaid leave means unpaid mortgages and rent.

"In order to work, there would need to be clear information as to who was taking holiday at any one time and an expectation that employees would consider the needs of the business as well as their own plans."

But the employment law specialist suggested the policy could benefit some companies.

She added: "Although this would not be a practical benefit for all employers to offer, employers should take on board the fact that we have a new generation of employees that value time off over and above large pay packets.

"This may be crucial when digital media companies are competing for developers, who often want to stay self-employed so they can take time out when they want to.

"Employers should take note that increased holiday time and flexibility is likely to be attractive to those employees who do not have children or large financial commitments. This may place you as an employer of choice over and above larger companies that pay more than you."