Danske Bank has launched a project to capitalise on the positive aspects of home working as it prepares for a post-Corona workplace.
The Danish bank, which sent more than 19,000 staff from the office to work remotely at home, says the learnings from the effort will have a "lasting impact on how work is structured and conducted at Danske Bank".
As a first response, the bank is giving employees the option to work from home one or two days a week and ensuring that all internal meetings are available through skype links and do not require physical attendance. It will also invest in new digital collaboration tools and platforms, such as Microsoft Teams.
The move comes on the back of early reports indicating increased customer satisfaction, employee engagement and productivity over the prolonged lockdown period
Danske Bank Coo Frans Woelders says: “The past months have really taught us that work is not a place, it’s an activity. We are going to explore many different initiatives and solutions, but if we want to see a long lasting change, we need to start already now and ask all of our colleagues to join us in this.
"That’s why we are now stating very clearly that even as society is slowly returning to a kind of normal, we should bring along some of our new habits and the flexibility that comes with working from home, just as we should naturally prioritise virtual meetings and collaboration over travels.”
Among other changes, the future workplace project is looking into changing corporate facilities to focus on more team-spaces and work hubs for physical meetings and brainstorming sessions, and less on solo work stations as more employees choose to work remotely.
Says Woelders: “We are aware that an increasingly virtual workplace comes with challenges and matters that need to be identified and addressed, just as we need to ensure that our colleagues have the proper tools, skills and equipment to work from multiple locations."