Nationwide is rolling out a ‘work anywhere’ approach, which will enable its 13,000 office-based employees to work from any location in the UK.

The UK’s largest building society said that the policy would help put employees in control of how they balance their work and home lives.

The building society surveyed employees on how they would like to work in future, with just six per cent saying they wanted to work in an office five days a week and more than half (57 per cent) wanting to work from home full time. More than a third (36 per cent) wanted a blend of home and office work.

The work anywhere approach will be focussed on how people can do their best work rather than where they are based, with employees encouraged to ‘locate for their day’ to suit the tasks that need to be achieved.

The employee survey revealed that 30 per cent believe they are better at prioritising decisions in the interests of members by working from home.

Nationwide has also collaborated with research company Ipsos MORI to launch a Future of Work report, to better understand the impact of the pandemic and the opportunities it has opened up.

The report, which surveyed major employers such as Accenture, American Express, Boston Consulting Group, Blackrock, IBM and VISA, reveals nine in ten (90 per cent) of those working from home want to continue doing so at least one day a week, with six in ten (60 per cent) saying it gives them a better work-life balance.

However, there also remains a real need for meeting in the physical world, with 43 per cent of remote workers needing face-to-face time with colleagues to do their job effectively.

The report shines a light on workplace inequality, a worrying Covid ‘generation gap’ where young people are disadvantaged and the challenges faced by many with households unsuited to homeworking.

Announcing the work from anywhere policy, Joe Garner, chief executive of Nationwide Building Society, said: “The last year has taught many of us that ‘how’ we do our jobs is much more important than ‘where’ we do them from. We have listened and learned, and we are now deciding to move forward, not back. We are putting our employees in control of where they work from, inviting them to ‘locate for their day’ depending on what they need to achieve.

He added: “Our data suggests that working in a home environment encourages us to think more about the impact on others when making decisions. As a member-owned organisation, we encourage a focus on humanity, while embracing technology. We are also continuing to invest in some of our office space to foster social contact, collaboration and creativity.””

Share Story: