As normality begins to renew after the onslaught of college holidays and colleagues taking trip to benefit from the summer season, workplace life has begun to choose up velocity as soon as once more. But with 52% of all UK staff now working in a hybrid function as of February 2023 -a 22% enhance in contrast with 2019 – has the notion of a standard workplace now been changed?
While there’s nonetheless fierce debate amongst firms and their colleagues, about whether or not individuals are extra more likely to thrive and work productively in a completely distant versus a completely office-based function, Animal Friends Insurance has been one in every of many to make the leap and undertake a extra versatile method, giving their staff members the selection of how they wish to work. After totally committing to an agile working coverage in 2022, 64% of Animal Friends colleagues now have totally distant working roles, with an extra 34% opting to be hybrid, managing their time between their home and the workplace, leaving only a small 2% contingent opting to maintain their hours within the firm workplace.
So, what does it take for a business to lean into these new methods of working and what implications does it have for leaders, folks HR capabilities, and people with profession ambitions?
Where to start out?
Tanya Johnson, Chief People Officer at Animal Friends Pet Insurance, explains how Animal Friends tackled these vital questions:
“Hybrid working isn’t clear cut, it can be both positive and challenging to define and implement. Our practices and policies have evolved over time as we have tested, listened, and learned what works and what doesn’t with the support of all our colleagues.”
“I believe that the key to our success with embedding hybrid working has been down to our people. From our CEO, Wes Pearson, and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), through to our people managers and team members, everyone has been committed to making it work, and most importantly, putting trust in each other.
“We spent a lot of time researching, engaging with our colleagues on what the new policy should include, and listening to truly understand what was right for us as individuals, as a team, and for our customers.
“We developed our Ways of Working Guide with the help of our Legal team, because of course working from home has a lot of legal implications regarding different health and safety rules than that of office-base working, and it was critical that our colleagues remain protected.
“Having strategies and policies in place helps make for a smooth and productive hybrid transition. We now deliver this collaborative approach right from the start of a colleague’s career journey, from our online recruitment and onboarding process to ensuring IT and desk equipment historically only available in the office is delivered straight to a colleague’s front door.”
Unlocking nationwide expertise
One of the largest advantages of a ‘Ways of Working’ method for businesses is the broader geographic expertise pool available, that means candidates might be recruited based mostly on experience and ability alone, with out the priority about postcode. Tanya feedback:
“Living inside a commutable distance to the workplace can pose a barrier because it limits the variety of appropriate potential candidates available. By providing our Ways of Working method, we opened up the candidate pool for the business to seek out distinctive expertise nationwide. Equally, it’s given candidates extra alternative to determine if we’re the fitting match for them too. Currently we’ve got 18 colleagues in Scotland and 15 in Wales and lots of extra scattered throughout the UK, even with our head workplace positioned in England.
“Supporting colleagues to work in a way that works for them is a strategic move and a significant factor in attracting candidates from across the country. Applications for work opportunities with Animal Friends increased by 437% from 2019-2022, following the implementation of our flexible working approach.”
Maximising colleague satisfaction
Flexible working permits colleagues to work wherever they really feel at their most targeted. Tanya seems at how this may be useful for each business and colleagues alike:
“Our annual internal survey discovered that colleagues feel positively about remote working, and having the flexibility to decide what works best for them. It has been a huge step change for our business but an incredibly worthwhile and effective one.
“We’ve seen a consistent rise in our colleague satisfaction year on year since implementing our flexible working approach. In 2022 at the start of our formal flexible working journey, the internal survey showed us that 64% of our colleagues were satisfied with their role, whereas this year has seen that number rise to 80%.”
How to make distant working ‘work’
While distant and hybrid working can have quite a few advantages for businesses and colleagues, there are practical issues that must be carried out to assist easy the transition for each events. Tanya explains how Animal Friends put in place new instruments to assist handle efficiency and guarantee profession development:
“It’s incredibly important that we support colleagues with their performance and career goals regardless of where they work. Animal Friends is a leading UK pet insurer, and we want our team members to feel excited about our future, be a part of our journey, and grow with us. That’s why we have implemented a range of new tools and developed clear guidance on how to manage a team and work collaboratively in a remote environment. We want to continue our culture of connection and a sense of belonging at Animal Friends, so we’ve explored and created many new ways for our team members to feel part of a positive and healthy environment, where they have easy access to the support and information they need. Additionally, we’ve introduced new performance and development processes to help our colleagues not only maximise their productivity but also feel motivated by the work they do and ensure that each colleague has a professional development plan so that we can support them in achieving their career aspirations.”
A versatile work-life steadiness; enabling and empowering colleagues.
We additionally know that versatile working gives each colleagues and businesses with a wealth of optimistic advantages and alternatives alike. Having a distant or hybrid working method could make the lives of colleagues with young youngsters or dependents, considerably extra manageable. Tanya explains how distant working might be useful for fogeys and carers:
“With the average cost of part-time childcare (25 hours) coming in at £7,210 per year, we know from colleagues that the flexibility of working from home has allowed them to manage childcare costs more effectively. Furthermore, without the time spent on the dreaded commute, colleagues are able to spend more precious time with loved ones, especially in those all-important early years.
“We know that balancing full-time employment with a parenting or carer role can be a potential prohibitor to returning to the workplace. We feel the flexible approach taken at Animal Friends enables those who want to work alongside having a family to do so; the two shouldn’t be mutually exclusive.”
Keep it social
Some of the arguments towards working from home usually deal with it being a lonely expertise as colleagues’ alternative to bodily have interaction and work together are restricted. Tanya explains how Animal Friends prioritise wellbeing in a distant setting:
“We know that working from home can feel isolating for some, so not only is the choice to work from the office still available, we’ve also put robust wellbeing policies in place to help support those colleagues that might be struggling with loneliness and bolstered these with fully trained mental health first aiders who are on hand to talk at a moment’s notice.
“And it’s not just about the policies, we’ve taken smaller steps that also have a big impact. Human connection is so important, so we encourage camera-on meetings wherever possible, hold frequent team calls throughout the week, and create social opportunities such as company quiz nights and team away days with the specific goal of providing that vital personal interaction.
“Our SLT and people managers also operate a (virtual) open-door policy. We encourage all our colleagues to reach out to one another, regardless of level, when they have an idea, are faced with a challenge, or just need someone to talk to. We believe that together we are stronger and that by challenging tradition and embracing the new, we can go further than ever before.”
