Employee experience
recent survey by Microsoft, which found that 85% of business leaders felt hybrid work affected their confidence in employee productivity. Though Matze-Mennes is sympathetic to this way of thinking, she prescribes one antidote: communication. “I think the key to ridding yourself of this mindset is communication,” she explains. “The experience of leaders is different than the teams in some cases, so the solution is to bring those two parties together.” This task, she adds, is a vital part of her job role at ABN AMRO. “We’re carrying out research in 14 teams across the organisation to get their qualitative input and to share these stories with management.” This is building what McCartney refers to as “trust- based cultures”. These are working environments where “people are managed by their outputs and, of course, if any performance issues are raised these are dealt with effectively”. All the same, McCartney is quick to push back against the assumption that working from home is less productive. “Our data suggests that productivity has actually improved with opportunities for people to work from home or in a hybrid way, often due to having more concentrated time for detailed work.”
The stats are positive elsewhere too. For instance, research from the UK’s Office for National Statistics found that 78% of people who worked from home said it improved their work-life balance – with over half finding they completed work quicker and suffered less distractions.
According to Matze-Mennes, the story is much the same at ABN AMRO: “We work with an output- focused methodology, and I’m happy to say that the results have been positive.”
More than ergonomic support If there is any industry that knows the importance of supporting people through transformational periods, it’s the banking sector. After all, the mark of a great bank has increasingly become how they assisted customers in the shift to a more digital banking environment. In ABN AMRO’s Dutch homebase, indeed, 85.7% of the population now use online or mobile banking. The move to working from home arguably requires them to offer the same kind of support – but internally.
Matze-Mennes herself spoke to me while sitting in an ergonomic chair at an ergonomic desk in her own home – via a screen and keyboard that were all provided by ABN AMRO and are offered to each and every team member. Useful guidance on home working is also given to staff. “We developed workshops and a useful playbook to help people settle in and make the most of working from home,” she explains.
This playbook caters to members of ABN AMRO’s staff up and down the corporate hierarchy, providing
Future Banking /
www.nsbanking.com
tips on deciding whether tasks should be tackled at home or in the office, as well as offering advice on setting up a workspace to maximise productivity. It also hones in on skills relevant to particular hierarchical levels in the bank – like tips for leaders on how to effectively manage their team remotely. With support like this, it’s probably unsurprising that flexible working seems here to stay. In EY’s 2022 Work Reimagined survey, for instance, it was found that there had generally been a major shift in power towards the employee – with the proliferation of flexible working being a major factor in the change. At many banks, including ABN AMRO, managers are seeing WFH as an opportunity to attract the best talent. “I firmly believe it also makes us an attractive employer,” Matze-Mennes says. “Prospective employees appreciate that flexibility.” There are other advantages to a more flexible methodology too – which may come to play a larger part in industry conversations as time goes on. One worth highlighting is the benefits to a company’s sustainability. PwC found that its workers saved over 20 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted as they worked from home over the pandemic. Additionally, McCartney states that it is CIPD’s belief that flexible working “can increase the inclusion of marginalised groups” in the workplace. “Flexible working practices,” she adds, “are key to creating jobs that can work for people with caring responsibilities and those with disabilities or long-term health conditions”. As for the next big trend, the CIPD’s guess is sure to make sceptical CEOs very happy: the four-day week. “There has been a positive outcome from UK companies that have been trialling this way of working,” McCartney says. Of the 61 companies that participated in the trial, to give one example, 56 are continuing with it. Either we test these theories now and assess their value – or trust in the now-fragile status quo and fight it out with employees if and when they start to think: “Why are we doing things this way?” ●
European finance institutions have been quick to embrace WFH, unlike their American counterparts.
Annemarie Matze- Mennes, future of work and hybrid working programme manager, ABN AMRO.
Claire McCartney, senior policy adviser, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
100%
The percentage of Europe’s top banks that allowed staff to work remotely for part of the week by the middle of 2022. Bloomberg
27
MT-R/
Shutterstock.com
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