AXA is deploying what it calls its “smart working strategy” in all of its entities worldwide, incorporating lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and how it shaped the work environment.
According to a company announcement, AXA seeks to institute a hybrid way of working for its employees. The strategy combines remote work and office presence by enabling employees on a voluntary basis to work remotely for two days per week.
The global insurer seeks to fully deploy the strategy by 2023, with changes applied by the end of this year affecting over 70% of AXA employees.
The program will include change management and training measures, adaptation of workspaces and provision of IT equipment, the insurer said, adding that it will pay particular attention to the autonomy and responsibility of teams, and to the cohesion and well-being of employees. The smart working strategy will accommodate eligible employees working full-time in office if they want to or need to, depending on their job description.
AXA said it arrived at this decision due to the successful implementation of remote working – with 38% of employees regularly working from home prior to the COVID-19 crisis, and 90% of them wishing to increase the practice of remote working in the future. The company also integrated the experience it gained from the pandemic, where full remote working guaranteed operational continuity.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has been a tipping point in our working methods,” said Karima Silvent, chief human resources officer of AXA. “Continued investments in our digital transformation made it possible to massively recourse to remote working during the crisis, which confirmed the resilience of our organization in an unprecedented context. Moreover, this crisis has reminded us of the importance of having places in which we can meet and work together.
“By extending our smart working strategy, we want to adapt our organization to the post-COVID era and offer our employees a balanced framework that combines the flexibility of remote work, while keeping the office as an important anchor for social interactions and community building. This is a new step in our overall ambition to become one of the best companies to work for.”
Find out the winners of the Best Insurance Companies to Work for in New Zealand in IB's special report.
