BNP Paribas is to consolidate three offices into one new HQ in Dublin, as the move to post-pandemic hybrid working upends previous assumptions about real estate requirements.
The move will see all of BNP Paribas' 400 Corporate and Institutional Banking staff rehoused in one building, on one floor having previously been located in three locations around the capital.
Derek Kehoe, CEO, head of country Ireland, BNP Paribas says the move, coinciding with a general return to office post pandemic, will also propel a cultural shift in future working practices.
“With greater flexibility for staff and hybrid working now a permanent fixture, maintaining three offices made very little sense to us," he says. "This move has enabled us to bring our teams together to work more collaboratively."
"The pandemic affirmed just how adaptable, agile, robust and reliable our team is and we have found that by empowering staff and avoiding micromanagement that productivity levels have increased," he continues. “As a management team, it’s interesting to reflect on the many changes we have implemented, borne from a situation that was forced upon us. Our management style has adapted; we are more flexible, more open to new ideas and certainly stronger. By standing back from the business and taking a more objective view of our operations, we were able to identify both the opportunity and the need for greater collaboration across our business units. Reverting to type was just not an option for us.
“Our focus is on future proofing our business and we are well set up for ‘future ways of working’ for this and future generations.”