Enabling and empowering; Animal Friends promotes flexible working

As normality starts to resume after the onslaught of school holidays and colleagues taking time out to enjoy the summer, office life has begun to pick up speed once again. But with 52% of all UK employees now working in a hybrid role as of February 2023¹ - a 22% increase compared with 2019² - has the notion of a traditional office now been replaced?

While there is still fierce debate amongst companies and their colleagues, about whether people are more likely to thrive and work productively in fully remote versus a fully office-based role, Animal Friends Insurance has been one of many to take the plunge and adopt a more flexible approach, giving their team members the choice of how they want to work. After fully committing to an agile working policy in 2022, 64% of Animal Friends colleagues now have fully remote working roles, with a further 34% opting to be hybrid, managing their time between their home and the office, leaving just a small 2% contingent opting to keep their hours in the company office.

So, what does it take for a business to lean into these new ways of working and what implications does it have for leaders, people and HR functions, and those with career ambitions?

Where to start?

Tanya Johnson, Chief People Officer at Animal Friends Pet Insurance, explains how Animal Friends tackled these important questions:

“Hybrid working isn’t clear cut, it can be both positive and challenging to define and implement. Our practices and policies have evolved over time as we have tested, listened, and learned what works and what doesn’t with the support of all our colleagues.”

“I believe that the key to our success with embedding hybrid working has been down to our people. From our CEO, Wes Pearson, and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), through to our people managers and team members, everyone has been committed to making it work, and most importantly, putting trust in each other.

“We spent a lot of time researching, engaging with our colleagues on what the new policy should include, and listening to truly understand what was right for us as individuals, as a team, and for our customers.

“We developed our Ways of Working Guide with the help of our Legal team, because of course working from home has a lot of legal implications regarding different health and safety rules than that of office-base working, and it was critical that our colleagues remain protected.

“Having strategies and policies in place helps make for a smooth and productive hybrid transition. We now deliver this collaborative approach right from the start of a colleague’s career journey, from our online recruitment and onboarding process, to ensuring IT and desk equipment historically only available in the office is delivered straight to a colleague’s front door.”

Unlocking national talent

One of the biggest benefits of a ‘Ways of Working’ approach for businesses is the wider geographic talent pool available, meaning candidates can be recruited based on expertise and skill alone, without the concern about postcode. Tanya comments:

“Living within a commutable distance to the office can pose a barrier as it limits the number of suitable prospective candidates available. By offering our Ways of Working approach, we opened up the candidate pool for the business to find exceptional talent nationwide. Equally, it’s given candidates more opportunity to decide if we are the right fit for them too. Currently we have 18 colleagues in Scotland and 15 in Wales and many more scattered across the UK, even with our head office located in England.

“Supporting colleagues to work in a way that works for them is a strategic move and a significant factor in attracting candidates from across the country. Applications for work opportunities with Animal Friends increased by 437% from 2019-2022³, following the implementation of our flexible working approach.”

Maximising colleague satisfaction

Flexible working enables colleagues to work wherever they feel at their most focused. Tanya looks at how this can be beneficial for both business and colleagues alike:

“Our annual internal survey discovered that colleagues feel positively about remote working, and having the flexibility to decide what works best for them. It has been a huge step change for our business but an incredibly worthwhile and effective one.

“We’ve seen a consistent rise in our colleague satisfaction year on year since implementing our flexible working approach. In 2022 at the start of our formal flexible working journey, the internal survey showed us that 64% of our colleagues were satisfied with their role, whereas this year has seen that number rise to 80%⁴.”

How to make remote working ‘work’

While remote and hybrid working can have numerous benefits for businesses and colleagues, there are practical considerations that should be implemented to help smooth the transition for both parties. Tanya explains how Animal Friends put in place new tools to help manage performance and ensure career growth:

“It’s incredibly important that we support colleagues with their performance and career goals regardless of where they work. Animal Friends is a leading UK pet insurer, and we want our team members to feel excited about our future, be a part of our journey, and grow with us.  That’s why we have implemented a range of new tools and developed clear guidance on how to manage a team and work collaboratively in a remote environment. We want to continue our culture of connection and a sense of belonging at Animal Friends, so we’ve explored and created many new ways for our team members to feel part of positive and healthy environment, where they have easy access to the support and information they need. Additionally, we’ve introduced new performance and development processes to help our colleagues not only maximise their productivity but also feel motivated by the work they do and ensure that each colleague has a professional development plan so that we can support them in achieving their career aspirations.”

A flexible work-life balance; enabling and empowering colleagues.

We also know that flexible working provides both colleagues and businesses with a wealth of positive benefits and opportunities alike. Having a remote or hybrid working approach can make the lives of colleagues with young children or dependents, somewhat more manageable. Tanya explains how remote working can be beneficial for parents and carers:

“With the average cost of part-time childcare (25 hours) coming in at £7,210 per year⁵, we know from colleagues that the flexibility of working from home has allowed them to manage childcare costs more effectively. Furthermore, without the time spent on the dreaded commute, colleagues are able to spend more precious time with loved ones, especially in those all-important early years.

“We know that balancing full-time employment with a parenting or carer role can be a potential prohibitor to returning to the workplace.  We feel the flexible approach taken at Animal Friends enables those who want to work alongside having a family to do so; the two shouldn’t be mutually exclusive.”

Keep it social

Some of the arguments against working from home often focus on it being a lonely experience⁶ as colleagues’ opportunity to physically engage and interact are limited. Tanya explains how Animal Friends prioritise wellbeing in a remote environment:

“We know that working from home can feel isolating for some, so not only is the choice to work from the office still available, we’ve also put robust wellbeing policies in place to help support those colleagues that might be struggling with loneliness and bolstered these with fully trained mental health first aiders who are on hand to talk at a moment's notice.

“And it’s not just about the policies, we’ve taken smaller steps that also have a big impact. Human connection is so important, so we encourage camera-on meetings wherever possible, hold frequent team calls throughout the week, and create social opportunities such as company quiz nights and team away days with the specific goal of providing that vital personal interaction.

“Our SLT and people managers also operate a (virtual) open-door policy. We encourage all our colleagues to reach out to one another, regardless of level, when they have an idea, are faced with a challenge, or just need someone to talk to. We believe that together we are stronger and that by challenging tradition and embracing the new, we can go further than ever before.”