Wales-headquartered trade credit insurer Atradius has launched a new hybrid-working policy giving staff flexibility to work from home over the long term.
The new way of working will offer Atradius staff the opportunity to spend up to 40% of the time working remotely. The ‘hybrid working philosophy’ was developed by Atradius, which has its UK headquarters in Cardiff Bay, in consultation with staff, with a clear preference identified for maintaining an element of remote working. The opportunity to work remotely will be voluntary, giving staff a choice of where they work.
Anne Middleton, Head of HR for Atradius UK and Ireland commented: “Flexible working was already a growing movement for companies, albeit far more gradual than we’ve seen over the past 18 months. The pandemic acutely accelerated this trend and fast-tracked the implementation of infrastructure to support routine home working. At Atradius, the way our staff continued to run the business almost fully remotely during the pandemic was impressive, embracing new technology and new ways of working to operate and communicate effectively. However, facetime is irreplaceable in allowing us to maintain the strong relationships with customers and brokers we are renowned for 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.”
To support hybrid working, Atradius has launched a new support programme including wellbeing webinars, social connectivity initiatives and light ‘how-to’ workshops designed to equip staff with the skills to work remotely effectively and instil Atradius’ culture. This follows the rollout of a new technology and communications infrastructure as well as full-scale IT support in London and training. While the hybrid working philosophy is stable, as a new structure it will continually be reviewed to ensure it evolves to best meet both the needs of staff and the wider business.
Anne Middleton added: “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.”
