UniCredit has become the latest firm to rethink its long-term attitude towards where staffers work in the wake of Covid-19, agreeing a deal to give all employees the chance to spend a part of their week working from home.
The Italian bank has struck a deal with the UniCredit European Works Council that will see staff at headquarters and central offices given the option to spend 40% of their time working remotely. Employees working in the broader network will be able to work remotely 20% of their time.
UniCredit says technological advances have made it easier to work from home and that the decision is based on data and insights gathered during the pandemic.
Jean Pierre Mustier, CEO, UniCredit, says: "Covid-19 has significantly changed our clients' mindset and behaviours, encouraging us to accelerate our digital and remote banking transformation. We are also leveraging on this new reality for our colleagues, because we believe that remote work can increase their quality of life."
UniCredit is far from the only financial services firm to re-evaluate its attitude to traditional office life in the wake of Covid-19. This week, US store credit card provider Synchrony Financial said that it will allow all of its 16,500 employees work from home permanently.
Employees seem to be happy with the shift, with one in two UK FS industry workers wanting to continue to work from home for at least part of the week once the pandemic passes, according to a new recent by KPMG and the Financial Services Skills Commission.