About Geeks for Social Change
What is Geeks for Social Change?
Geeks for Social Change (GFSC) is a Manchester-based research and development studio uniting technology, activism and research to work towards a fairer society. The studio works with community groups (campaigns, charities, social enterprises, health and wellbeing initiatives, the NHS, neighbourhood teams), researchers and academics, and digital agencies — developing websites and apps, creating training and support programs, conducting social science research and strengthening communities. The studio operates as Place Health Technology CIC (Companies House No. 12135472) and is rebranding to GFSC Community Interest Company at gfsc.community.
GFSC's specialty verbatim from /studio: "helping to address really difficult and gnarly social problems: where other attempts at introducing digital elements have failed or are not working, where the people involved feel digitally excluded, or where there's a general sense of not knowing what to do." The studio focuses on themes including Anti-Racism, Digital Autonomy, Disability Activism, Environment, Hulme and Manchester, Local History, Mutual Aid and Trans Liberation.
Operational status: Per a banner on every page, GFSC is currently restructuring. The /team page notes: "GFSC is currently restructuring! We're currently focussed on getting our next chapter as the GFSC Community up and running. GFSC Studio will be back in operation in good time but for now it's just Kim working out the next steps." The new GFSC Community venture publishes ongoing community-technology content through May 2026.
Where will I work?
GFSC is fully remote. All team members work as individuals based around the United Kingdom. The studio is headquartered in Manchester (no fixed office address published).
What is the Geeks for Social Change team like?
Dr Kim Foale (Studio Lead) is currently the active member while restructuring is underway. Active contributors at gfsc.community include Ben Swithen. Historically the studio describes itself as a "disabled-led company which aims to be as accessible as possible for our staff" — flexibility-first culture, with daily stand-ups, asynchronous-first communication via Discord (staff area), Notion shared task databases, and GitHub for tickets. Time tracking via Clockify.
From the 4-day-week essay (by honor ash, 26 October 2023): "23% of working-age adults in the UK are disabled, and around 9% of the population provide unpaid care, which means it's highly likely that some of the people on your staff would benefit from the opportunity to work more flexibly. Consistent and rigid working doesn't allow for fluctuating energy and focus, the ability to respond to emergent needs, or a feeling of agency over one's own time. Informed by this, we have flexible working which means staff have choice and responsibility over when they schedule their working hours."
Work-Life Balance
GFSC operates a four-day week on a Monday-Thursday schedule with shorter days. Verbatim from the 2023 essay: "We are open as a studio from Monday to Thursday every week. For us, this means these are the only times we'll ever schedule client-facing meetings, and when we expect all staff to work the majority of their hours. In addition to being a four day week company, we also operate with shorter days, so a full time week is four days of six working hours, or 24 hours total."
Work is organised in three-week cycles: "two weeks focused intensely on one project, with a buffer week in-between to tidy up loose ends and prepare for the next two-week sprint." Core hours are 11am-3pm daily, when all staff aim to be available for key meetings and project planning. End-of-cycle retrospectives and monthly Ways of Working meetings provide structured space to reflect and adapt. Part-time arrangements are common: "someone who is contracted for a 0.75 FTE role (three days, or 18 hours per week) is free to split those hours over the full four days if they wish, if it means they're able to focus better."
The studio's working pattern was set from day one — "We actually started as a four-day-week company from the very beginning."
Perks and Benefits
GFSC publishes its working pattern and culture (above) rather than a traditional benefits package. Confirmed practices:
- Four-day week (Mon-Thu) of six-hour days (24 hours total full-time) — embedded since founding
- Fully remote across the UK — staff are individual remote workers
- Flexible working — staff choose when they schedule their hours; core hours 11am-3pm
- Async-first comms — Discord staff area, Notion shared task database, GitHub tickets minimise meetings
- Three-week cycles with structured retros and monthly Ways of Working sessions
While the studio is restructuring, follow-up via gfsc.community is the best route for current opportunities.