Digital banking app Revolut, which employs 1,400 UK workers, introduced its working-abroad policy not only to offer flexibility but also in response to increasing requests from its global workforce to visit families more often and for longer periods.
As there are more than 80 nationalities represented among its workforce, the organisation decided that a natural extension of its 100% flexible work policy, where staff can choose to work from home, the office or a combination, was to offer them the opportunity to temporarily work from a different location to their country of employment as of last year. They can do so for a period of up to 60 days over a 12-month period for personal and non-business related reasons.
Following the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, the organisation asked teams what they wanted, and the answer was flexibility and the power of choice.
Alexandra Loi, global head of HR at Revolut, explains: “Internal surveys showed that Revolut’s employees responded positively to remote working, as more than 56% preferred to work from home between two and four times a week, while 36% liked a fully remote policy,” she explains. “Ultimately, it is all about employee choice, we give our staff flexibility to choose where they work. It has been very well received, staff are using it and those that do find it very beneficial.”
One employee, who is based in Romania, has worked in Dublin, Edinburgh, London, and Portugal so far, finding that it has given her the opportunity to travel without being constrained to annual leave or having stress from being away from the job for too long or too often.
The organisation felt it was important to introduce this policy because it helps to offer staff the flexibility they prefer, attract the best talent and improve its employee experience, allowing the ability to build borderless teams and to offer career opportunities to a wider range of people.
As a result of the success Revolut has seen from the initiative, taking on board what staff want is critical, says Loi. “If [we] want to attract the best talent and provide the best employee experience, [we] should listen to [our] employees and offer them as much flexibility as they need,” she concludes.