Coventry Building Society has introduced a hybrid working model for those at its head office and operations sites in Coventry, UK to improve employee wellbeing and engagement.
Around 2,000 staff who are currently working remotely will be able to split their time between the office and home once the UK government allows more people into the workplace.
According to the building society, it listened to employees’ views and the consensus was to have a blend of home working and time in the office, which will apply to most of its non-branch staff. They will be able to spend time with their families rather than commuting, and will still have opportunities to mix with their teams in the office.
Lucy Becque, chief people officer at Coventry Building Society, explained that the organisation is taking this opportunity to reshape how and where its employees work in the future because while branch teams have been serving members throughout the pandemic, many others haven’t been to their normal place of work for over a year.
She said: “From the outset of the pandemic, we did everything we could to help people adapt physically, practically and psychologically, whether they were working from home or keeping our branches open for our members. We provided equipment and invested heavily in technology and adapting our existing wellbeing programme.”
According to Becque, colleagues have shown they can do a “fantastic job from home” and many have enjoyed the flexibility it brings. Equally some people prefer to work in the office, for a variety of reasons, and the organisation will continue to support that.
She added that wellbeing and engagement were central to the decision to introduce hybrid working because it helps to keep teams engaged and interacting with each other face to face, as well as preserving many of the benefits of working from home that have improved work-life balance.