Bank of Ireland opens five more remote working hubs

Bank of Ireland has opened five more remote working hubs for its workforce as it seeks to implement a "gradual return to the office" over the coming weeks.

It said the hubs would provide an alternative to central office locations and enhance 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,” it said.

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The majority of the bank’s staff have been working from home throughout the pandemic, but about one in four continued to work in branches and central offices.

Bank of Ireland chief people officer Matt Elliott 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 member of staff depending on their role within the organisation, the bank said.

Staff are contracted to a specific location, but desk-based staff who have typically been based in the office five days a week for example will 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.