Hybrid working isn’t just a buzz word anymore – it’s a way of life for many of us. At Thomas, we understand that being in the office is really important to a lot of our team, while many others value the flexibility and calm of working at home. We’ve compiled a policy so our staff can be assured that we’ll support whichever option, or combination of options, works best for them. We’d advise you to do the same. This is our hybrid working charter:
We are content for the balance between working remotely and in the office to evolve over time, allowing each team to work its way towards the optimum working practices for its needs and its people. We will, however, set out some clear, simple principles we expect people to follow when determining a hybrid approach and the balance needed between remote and office working so we can maintain optimal business performance.
Remote working refers to employees working from a different location to their normal contractual place of work or for their normal place of work to not be one of Thomas’ offices either on a regular or irregular basis.
This approach to Hybrid Working means the decision to work remotely has shifted from manager-approved to manager-informed, empowering employees to choose how and where they work within their country of employment through open dialogue and mutual agreement.
We have created these guiding principles to support a hybrid approach to working:
- We support flexibility and choice in terms of where we all work and how we split our time between remote and office working.
- We recognise the varying needs and expectations on each of us, as set through OKRs, personal objectives, the service or support our team provides to the business as well as the needs of our customers.
- We trust our people to make the right decisions; clarity and open communications are essential for our success.
- We challenge the widespread perception that “face time”, “presenteeism,” or visibility automatically equals productivity.
- We prioritise Team Thomas’ wellbeing; we want you to feel healthy, well and energised both mentally and physically and we are ever evolving our support for you. Work life balance is a key element and if that balance tips against you – please let us know. We will work with you to help you bring things back into balance.
- We evolve with technological advancements and focus on collaboration tools to ensure teams work effectively whether in office or remote.
- The success of hybrid working is the shared responsibility of employees, line managers and team members; by this we mean that teams are able to agree their norms in terms of the split between office / remote working, that takes account of the service they provide to the business.
In a recent Thomas survey, 35% of candidates currently job hunting confirmed that they would turn down a role if the company didn’t offer hybrid working as a policy. We recognise the importance of supporting individuals and teams to be at their best every day, and how that may be achieved differently by different people.
Want to know more about working at Thomas? Read more about our career opportunities and current vacancies here.
Download the Thomas Hybrid working charter.
