Trade credit insurer Atradius has launched a new hybrid working policy in order for its 412 UK members of staff to work flexibly from home for the long-term future.
The move will offer employees the opportunity to operate remotely for up to 40% of the time, allowing a choice of working location. The initiative, which is being brought in over the coming months depending on Covid-19 (Coronavirus) restrictions, was developed in consultation with staff, who identified a preference for maintaining flexible working following the Covid-19 pandemic.
To support this, the organisation introduced a new support programme that includes wellbeing webinars, social connectivity initiatives and how-to workshops designed so staff can work remotely effectively. It has already rolled out a new technology and communications infrastructure as well as full-scale IT support and training.
According to the company, the policy will be continually reviewed to make sure it keeps meeting both the needs of staff and the wider business.
Anne Middleton, head of HR for Atradius UK and Ireland, explained that although flexible working was already a growing movement for some organisations, the pandemic “acutely accelerated” this trend and fast-tracked the implementation of infrastructure to support routine home working.
She explained that it was “impressive” how Atradius staff continued to run the business almost fully remotely during the pandemic, embracing new technology and new ways of working to operate and communicate effectively, but admitted that face to face time is irreplaceable in maintaining “strong” relationships with customers and brokers as well as being able to innovative and collaborate over the long-term.
“Therefore, a hybrid solution between working in the office and remotely provides the ideal balance to benefit from the best of both worlds. Good mental health and staff engagement rank very highly among our core values at Atradius. We believe the flexibility of a hybrid working philosophy offers a better equilibrium, enabling staff to feel more fulfilled, achieve a better work-life balance while boosting productivity and efficiency,” Middleton said.
