Bank of Ireland opens five new remote working hubs for colleagues

Hybrid model promotes flexibility and choice as gradual return to the office gets underway

• Bank of Ireland now has a total network of 11 remote working hubs, designed to reduce time and energy-sapping commutes
• “By rethinking the traditional office model – and establishing a new approach to how and where we work – we will provide greater flexibility, reduced commute times, and a better work-life balance for our colleagues”

Bank of Ireland has opened five more remote working hubs for its workforce, providing an alternative to central office locations and enhancing work-life balance by reducing commuting time and costs. The five new remote working hubs are located in Swords, Blanchardstown, Santry, Newbridge, and Newlands Cross. Six remote working hubs at Gorey, Mullingar, Dundalk, Naas, Balbriggan and Northern Cross were already in operation.

Bank of Ireland’s office buildings will reopen in line with Government advice, with a gradual return to the office over the coming weeks. While the majority of colleagues have been working from home throughout the pandemic, as the provider of an essential service approximately one in four continued to work in branches and central offices – providing ongoing support to customers and keeping essential banking operations moving.

Commenting on the Bank’s hybrid model of working, Matt Elliott, Chief People Officer, Bank of Ireland said: “We have been changing what it is like to work at the Bank for a number of years. Our hybrid working model means less of the old way of doing things, like travelling through rush hour to do something at the office that could easily have been done from home. Opening five new remote working hubs means that there are now even more flexible working options for colleagues. Depending on their role, our working model allows colleagues to work from a combination of home and central office locations, and now offers access to a network of 11 remote working hubs.

“Given the recent changes to COVID-19 restrictions, our office buildings will reopen in line with Government advice, with a gradual return to the office over the coming weeks. We look forward to welcoming colleagues back to our offices and hubs in the coming weeks”.

Bank of Ireland’s hybrid model means different things for each colleague depending on their role within the organisation. Colleagues are contracted to a specific location, but desk based colleagues that have typically been based in the office five days a week for example, have greater flexibility to plan their working week to suit professional and personal requirements.

The Bank’s hybrid model will see office space being used primarily for meetings, collaboration, and building connections, while remote locations will be more suitable for work that can be progressed individually or that is more task based.