Global speciality insurance business Direct Insurance Group is to become the first insurance group to formally commit to a remote working policy for all staff permanently.
This comes following widespread disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic has provided a new perspective on employee workflow.
All staff within its business who want to work from home can continue to do so indefinitely after the lockdown finishes.
The group says it will continue to maintain its eight offices located in UK, Europe and North America and will remain headquartered in London, but from the end of the lockdown, staff will have the choice of office, homeworking or a combination of both, based on business and personal needs.
“I’m excited and delighted to be the first insurance company to formally announce this,” said David Bearman, Chief Executive Officer for Direct Insurance Group.
“Embracing remote working permanently is primarily about the wellbeing of our staff and we have seen how effective ‘working-from-home’ can be. Over the last nine weeks our group has not merely survived the lockdown, we’ve actually thrived.
“Our staff have saved money and countless hours by skipping the daily commute; time that is now spent learning, innovating, exercising, connecting and collaborating. For many there is also more time left over at the end of the day for friends, family and leisure.
“That is all against a backdrop of financials that show we are 26% up in terms of enquiries since we started remote working mid-March.
“In many ways this period of working from home has been a natural extension of our existing culture; we’ve always focussed on ‘outcomes’ rather than how much time people spend at their desk. We employ good people and trust them to do a good job.”
David Bearman concluded, “Covid-19 has had tragic consequences for many families across the globe. It’s also changed the way we live and work, and at DIG we are embracing this change to improve the wellbeing of our staff.
“There’s very little reason to return to the way things used to be before the outbreak. Whichever way you look at it it’s clear that this is the way forward and I’ve no doubt other insurance companies will soon follow suit.”
