Page 8 - BusinessWest March, 21, 2022
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 but also well outside, that offer flexibility and remote working, we thought it was a good bal- ance — for the organization and the employee.”
Meanwhile, MassMutual has put in place what it calls a “flexible workplace approach” that is comprised of three work arrangements — full- time in the office, full-time remote, and a hybrid of the two, with the majority of the financial- services giant’s employees working a hybrid arrangement.
“Flexibility is at the heart of our approach,” said Sue Cicco, head of Human Resources
term plan is to bring most employees back five days a week, he told BusinessWest, adding that he’s expecting some pushback, will listen to those giving it, and may ultimately change his mind.
But for now, that’s the plan, and for reasons that would resonate with many employers across the region.
“We’ve been grappling
with this for quite some
time,” Viale explained. “Right before the pandemic, we
secured a much larger office
space with a state-of-the-art call-center environment,
and we committed to a
seven-year lease, so we have
that financial expense baked
in to trying to do what’s
right for everyone, trying to
make sure the company is functioning as we need it
to, trying to make sure we’re serving the consumers we’re serving, and meeting the
needs of our staff. We’re try-
ing to balance all that — somehow.”
Overall, there are many forces driving the flex- ibility being exhibited at most workplaces, but perhaps the most significant is common sense when it comes to the matter of attracting and retaining talent, especially at a time when busi- nesses in virtually sector are struggling to do so.
Morales-Lemieux noted that Baystate Health,
Dan Moriarty says Monson Savings Bank is focusing
on flexibility with its return-to-the- workplace strategies, including hybrid schedules and the option
of a four-day work week.
“If people thought the labor market was tight going into COVID, we haven’t seen anything yet.”
and Employee Experi- ence for the company. “As our employees come back together, our goal is to combine the flexibility and convenience we’ve had working remotely with the energy, con- nection, and col- laboration that comes from being together in person.”
Elaborating, she said the flexible-
        workplace approach has been in place since last summer with employees “testing” it over the past several months. They are now being asked to be at “a more regular cadence” by the beginning of April.
At Cambridge Credit Counseling, Chris Viale, president and CEO of the company, plans to bring employees back to work a hybrid sched- ule starting later this month. But the longer-
which regularly employs roughly 13,000 employ- ees, currently has about 1,900 vacancies, three times what might be considered normal and
a powerful motivating force when it comes to establishing return-to-the-workplace strategies.
“If people thought the labor market was tight going into COVID,” she said, “we haven’t seen anything yet.”
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    8 MARCH 21, 2022
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