CBI @10am: Helping your business transition to new ways of working

Speakers:

• Matthew Percival, People & Skills Director, CBI​
• Alexander Barclay, Strategic Design Principal, Boston Consulting Group
• Dr Rebecca Weston, Chief Operation Officer, Sellafield
• James Harding, Editor and Founder, Tortoise Media (chair)

In this session:

• Matthew Percival updated us on last week's developments surrounding international travel with headline change of Portugal moving from 'green' to 'amber’ status. Matthew reiterated that while we must be led by health data, the government needs to think about sector-specific support for the aviation industry which is currently on its knees. 
  - We're also still seeking clarity from government around social distancing, covid status certificates and a number of financial support 'cliff edges' including trade credit insurance. Please continue to feedback via the coronavirus inbox: coronavirussupport@cbi.org.uk
• When it comes to new ways of working, firms are still grappling with what this means and there will be a lot of learning in the early months of implementing hybrid working plan. This means coming up with the best possible plan, and consulting with staff throughout.

Some tips:

• Employers should ensure they don't get trapped in a conversation which is only focused on working from home - means everyone whose job cannot be done from home is then excluded from the conversation
• Differentiate between hybrid and flexible working - more work done from home in the future, but they'll also be workers wanting to be able to control where they work and when.
• It's also a good time to think about inclusive working practices, and flexible working presents some opportunities around boosting diversity in the workforce but some risks around ensuring equitable performance management of employees working in the office or from home.

• Dr Rebecca Weston - Sellafield have around 11,000 employees who work on a range of sites, nuclear sites, labs, and offices. In terms of considerations, Sellafield has been developing their hybrid and agile working approaches while maintaining safety as a key priority given their business.
  - Transitions to agile working has enabled them to decongest their nuclear sites and create much needed space. Key ongoing consideration for them is keeping people connected.
  - For example, have a cohort of graduates who started in the pandemic who have not met physically or even visited the site. Some of their apprentices have bubbled in their teams but will require careful thought as more people join remotely and working practices change.

• Alexander Barclay - highlighted how the transition to new ways of working will require upskilling and sometimes retraining. 
  - In addition, Alex suggested skilled workers maybe now have a bit more bargaining power and are reflecting more about 'what work is' - compacts between employers and employees are becoming more nuanced.
  - Factors such as how the employee feels about their autonomy, achieving their goals, and taking part in interesting work will continue to be central to any discussions about hybrid and/or flexible working.
  - Overall, talent and people should always be the focus and ability to upskill or resell will be hugely important for businesses to maintain their competitive edge.