Quaife has implemented a Hybrid Office environment that allows team members to either work from home or in the office.

We were one of the first companies to react to COVID-19 and pushed for working from home three weeks before the UK went into full lockdown. For a Fintech business, this was quite an easy exercise as part of our existing disaster recovery was for staff members to work from home. We put in place technology that allows all staff to be in a virtual office, where we can all talk as a group or have meetings in virtual rooms within the office. We can share screens to work on tasks/presentations etc and everyone can be included as if they were in situ.

Working from home for over a year has provided many challenges, but also offered plenty of benefits. Overall, it is felt that there was a better work/life balance with families being able to spend more time together etc, whilst still being able to focus on work. Some people have thrived working from home whereas some others have not been so embracing of the change. For those members, the opportunity to still come into the office and go about their business in familiar surroundings has been beneficial and we obviously adhered to the usual Covid restrictions and guidelines to ensure that everyone has been kept safe and well.

From lessons learned during COVID and enhancing the technology, we have implemented and fine-tuned a Hybrid Office environment, in which staff members can now choose freely to either work from home or from the office. So, the result is that people at home still appear to be in the office and the people in the office can communicate with them freely, without the need for cumbersome headsets.

Morale is very high and productivity, if anything, is higher now than before the pandemic caused these changes to take place. So overall, Quaife has emerged from these challenging times stronger and more optimistic, with staff enjoying their working lives more than ever, and looking forward with renewed enthusiasm.