BEERG Newsletter - Future Work: Some Updates

Telecom Italia is from next February to close its offices across Italy on Fridays as part of a year-long deal with unions to expand home working, reduce energy costs and improve employees' work-life balance. The former phone monopoly, which is one of Italy’s biggest private employers, said it would increase the weekly days of home working that staff can take to three from two for around three-quarters of its current 42,000 domestic workforce. The plan "will enable employees to better plan their activities outside of work . . . and to achieve energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions," the company said.  The deal does not envisage any contribution for workers' home energy bills.

A new report published by Women in Banking and Finance and the London School of Economics finds that financial and professional services have moved far beyond the traditional 9 to 6 Monday to Friday work week, towards more bespoke working models that align with providing efficient operations at the team level, and heightened autonomy for its workers. This has necessitated the sector to move away from presenteeism as a marker of productivity. 

The 100 diverse voices interviewed were adamant that a ‘remote first’ move either had no impact on productivity or had a positive impact. This move highlights that the sector is far beyond the four-day work week, which is currently being trialed in many firms in the UK. It also highlights that while at the C suite level executives in many large firms are asking for workers to come into the office a specific number of days per week, in practice they are being ignored, with managers often favouring a remote first approach that satisfies local operational needs.

A web post from the Irish law firm, Matheson, looks at what has been learned about remote work and how to best manage as hybrid work patters become the new normal.