In today’s diverse work landscape, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to structuring a team. Some companies operate fully in-office, others embrace hybrid models, and many thrive as fully-remote organisations.
Forward-thinking employers recognise that regardless of wherever their teams are, the focus should be on fostering a workplace culture of collaboration, connection and purpose.
That is certainly the case at insurer Allianz which employs more than 750 people in Ireland, serving half a million customers.
“At Allianz, we are an inclusive meritocracy and understand that a strong, healthy, supportive and inclusive culture is vital to a successful organisation,” says Robert Hanly, its head of people and culture.
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Hybrid working is a cornerstone of its employee experience. “At Allianz Ireland we operate a fully hybrid model and do not prescribe a fixed number of days for our employees to attend our office,” he explains. “In keeping with our inclusive meritocracy, we have taken a team-based approach, empowering our teams to experiment with what works best for our customers, business, and work teams. As a result, hybrid working patterns vary across functions, teams and roles while ensuring that our customers are at the heart of everything we do.”
Its most recent 2024 engagement survey found that flexible working is one of the main drivers for employee engagement. Some 96 per cent of employees agreed that the ‘flexible working arrangement offered to me meets my current needs” and 94 percent agreed that “in the flexible work set up, I feel connected to our company and team regardless of where we work”.
Ensuring a uniform workplace culture regardless of location matters.
“We don’t take a one size fits all approach to realising our culture, as we tailor how we implement our culture to suit the needs of our customers. In practice, this means that different teams achieve our inclusive meritocracy in different ways even though the outcome adheres to our cultural principles.”
As a company that aims to be “the top employer in the financial services industry” both in Ireland and globally, he adds, his team works to attract and retain top talent, and supports them on their growth and development journey.
“We deliver a strong business impact and make a positive social contribution wherever we operate. The Allianz Employer Value Proposition (EVP) ‘We Care For Tomorrow’ encapsulates our commitment to creating a great place to work,” says Hanly.
“It’s not just a claim; it mirrors our dedication to fostering a workplace where individuals are motivated and empowered to contribute to this collective EVP.”
With more than 220 employees and more than 20 years’ experience, the TEKenable Group is a trusted IT company and partner to business of all sizes, from mid-market to Fortune 100. As an expert in AI and data-utilising cloud solutions that drive business transformation, it brings the latest innovations to clients around the world.
Positive workplace culture
Having a positive workplace culture is a key ingredient in doing all of that. TEKenable’s staff surveys show that remote working is the number one benefit cited by employees. “It is truly valued,” says Jenny Bowker, TEKenable’s marketing director.
It is also valued by management as it allows the company to take a global approach to recruitment, she points out.
“That is one of the big benefits of a fully-remote company: we get the best blend of all cultures to bring to our diverse and varied team,” she says. “We have staff in 14 different locations across the world. The mix of cultures improves our internal understanding of what a good company culture can look like, and we are working every day to improve it.
“A company, like any team, is only as good as its combined members make it. Team spirit cannot be bought, and no amount of money can compensate for lack of interest or replace the will to win. While organisational needs will change, and expectations will increase, our core culture is what keeps us grounded and focused.”
The famous management consultant Pete Drucker said culture eats strategy for breakfast. In a hybrid and remote workplace, it’s more important than ever.
“At TEKenable, we believe that fostering a strong company culture in a remote-first organisation is not just beneficial, it is essential,” says Bowker. Cultivating a cohesive and motivated team that thrives - regardless of physical location – leads “to higher productivity, increased retention and enhanced innovation that benefits the entire organisation”.
But social connections matter too. “Our teams in the different locations have get togethers to celebrate special occasions or just to spend time letting our hair down. We have virtual coffee meetings every Friday where we are split into teams of four and get to know each other. Conversations are not work related but rather getting to know each other.”
Forging such connections is also important at Clio, a legal software company, headquartered in Canada, whose EMEA business is run out of Ireland by a team of more than 50 people.
Earlier this year its entire 1,300 employees met in Vancouver for a catch up. There was much to celebrate. Last year the company secured a $900 million (€868 million) investment funding round, valuing the business at $3 billion (€2.9 billion). With its coffers replete, the cloud based legal tech company is on a growth trajectory. Holding true to its culture will be an important part of that.
“For us, it’s about having a human and high-performing culture,” says Lisa Holden, Clio’s senior talent acquisition specialist, EMEA. “They are the pieces that drive success for us.
“We are trying to create an environment where people can do the best work of their careers, in a winning, successful company. To that end, we prioritise people and their well-being. That’s the key to building high performance and is why we build out really intentional programmes around how we structure the way that we work.”
Given that it operates on a hybrid workplace basis, a key element of this is what she calls “intentional gathering”. “It’s about giving people the opportunity to come together in person, in offices which have been redesigned for collaboration, to get that social connection,” she says. That includes anchor days, where team members gather and have lunch together and attend special events.
At the same time, the flexibility it offers employees around remote working matters too, to ensure people can do what suits them best.
“We recognise that people favour different ways of working,” she explains. “The model of flexibility we have allows us to be successful and we are constantly looking at how we can improve it, taking constant feedback from the Great Place to Work survey.
“It’s about hiring talent and setting everyone up for success, with clear expectations and high standards.”
