Why the future of work is flexible after a time of crisis

The pandemic heightened the awareness and importance of mental health in the workplace as well as highlighting the value of time, along with the importance of the personal and individual sphere beyond one’s role or job position. That’s why we have prioritised our people’s wellbeing and replaced words with appropriate actions to reinforce the message as well as support for all our people.

The whole company demonstrated exceptional work during this time of crisis in keeping our staff safe and well, being able to adapt to the ambiguity the pandemic presented us with. In September this year, we formalised and made our way of working official. We launched WORK.LIVE.PLAY.(WLP), which is based on three pillars: flexibility, engagement and dynamic. All underpinned by connection and communication.

Dynamic, flexible, engaging

WLP is not just about choosing where to work on each day of the week. Its strength and innovation lie in the personalisation of the working routine on the basis of a balance between the needs and requirements of each employee, as well as their function and role. WLP is a dynamic model that evolves over time, thanks to a constant collection of feedback from employees.

The model takes into account wellbeing and safety. Allowing people to create a more personal way of working while remaining productive in their roles and feeling they have purpose and impact within the organisation. There was a lot of work behind the launch of this initiative. Our HR team took the lead and produced plans, merchandising, guidelines and FAQs for the new working model, covering everything from work routines, exercise and socialising. We also organised surveys and forums to hear how our people feel about this new model, and through feedback we learned what was important to our people.

Inclusion and diversity

We currently have employees located in four offices – Serbia, Malta, Austria and Italy – with 20 nationalities represented. The WLP model ensures alignment with employment law under each jurisdiction of the four countries and adaptions of provided allowances and benefits. That is perfectly aligned to the SKS365 company culture book we launched in 2019.

The debut of our future way of working model was preceded by our Easy Friday Initiative. From 16 July until 27 August, employees were encouraged to disconnect from work after 1pm each Friday and take some time for themselves. It was also applied to shift workers with line managers, ensuring everyone could take the same time off. It was our way of saying thanks for their contributions over the last 18 months.

Staying connected

The engagement and motivation of staff comes from strong leadership, complemented by open and transparent communication. We arranged virtual townhalls, monthly business video updates plus weekly updates about Covid-19 developments in our territories to keep people connected and share the successes as well as the challenges around the business. More than ever before, people started speaking to each other rather than just via email.

SKS365 managed to adapt quickly to the new global situation of a crisis and pandemic by creating a framework that combines the demands of our business, the needs of our customers, as well as the wellbeing of our people, while ensuring there is time to disconnect and enjoy life. That’s what WLP is all about.

Brian Dean has 20 years’ experience in general management and HR. He was previously chief people officer for a UK-based data analytics firm and has held similar senior positions in global telecommunications and financial services organisations. At SKS365, his remit and responsibilities cover all group HR, administration, communication and facilities management functions.