Revolut has told employees that they can spend up to two months per year working from overseas – meaning that some could be wanting to bask in the Barcelona sun or logging into work from a beach in Dubai.
According to The Times, more than 2,000 international staff working for the financial tech firm will be able to benefit from this new policy which is said to allow them to spend more time with family and loved ones.
Commenting on this, Jim MacDougall, Vice President of People at Revolut, said: “Our employees asked for flexibility and that’s what we’re giving them.”
In a statement released on Thursday – as was reported by Bloomberg – the firm reportedly said that employees who “wish to work outside their country of employment for personal and non-business related reasons will be able to do so for a period of up to 60 calendar days over a rolling 12 months”.
Bloomberg also reported that staff will be able to benefit from this new policy after COVID-19 travel restrictions are eased, adding that they must stick to guidelines from health authorities in both the departing and arrival destination.
An internal survey of Revolut staff found that 36% would like a full remote working policy, while more than half (56%) said that they would prefer to work from home between two and four days per week.
Revolut’s policy is an indication of the increasing level of flexibility some firms are offering to employees going forwards after the pandemic forced many to predominantly work from home.
‘Nationwide tells office staff to work anywhere’
Revolut is not the only organisation to have shaken up traditional working practices following the coronavirus crisis.
Last month, Nationwide told some of its staff that they could ‘work anywhere’ as part of a new flexibility scheme.
13,000 employees working for the UK’s largest building society will be able to use the scheme, allowing them to choose wherever they work and giving them greater control over their lives, the company said.
This decision follows an internal survey which polled staff on how they would like to work going forwards.
Just six per cent of respondents said that they wanted to work in an office five days per week, with more than half explaining that they wanted to work from home full-time.
36% of employees said that they would like a blend of home and office work – more commonly referred to as a ‘hybrid’ model of work.
Growing appetite for ‘hybrid’ work models
The results of Nationwide’s internal survey align with separate data from Gensler which highlighted an increasing appetite for a blend of office and homeworking.
As Retail Times reported, more than 67% of UK workers want a ‘hybrid’ model of working, spending between one and four days in the office each week.
While a move towards more flexible work models is something that could help engage existing staff, it is something that employers and HR should consider if they want to attract and retain top talent too.
