EcoVadis and the future of work

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 precipitated a seachange in working patterns across regions and industries . The time when working from home a few days a week was a sporadic benefit that only a few employers would offer now seems a distant memory. Inevitably, this shift towards remote working  has compelled  our company to evolve. 

At EcoVadis we have, in recent years, grasped the imperative to adapt at an accelerated pace. This has involved transforming the way we communicate in virtual spaces, the way we collaborate with our teams and the new technology we implement. It has also been a time to empower our leaders as they have a huge influence on the team's success in this digital era. 

While the pandemic has presented many challenges, it has also yielded  positive changes at EcoVadis, pushing the organization to more readily embrace the future of work. Notable developments include the introduction of:

• Flexible work schedule, our employees can manage their schedules as they collaborate with teammates efficiently worldwide, 
• Hybrid work environment, choosing the best location to work at home or in an office, with freedom to go to the office as many days a week as our employees need,
• Flexibility to work anywhere in the country where our employees are hired, not limited to one city where EcoVadis has an office, but rather they can live and work in other locations,
• Work abroad is permitted, our employees have the fantastic benefit of experiencing different cultures while working in another country for up to 90 days a year (as far as local legal regulations allow it),
• Psychological support, a 24/7 hotline is available for all employees for free to access  professional help when needed,
• Home office support, EcoVadis offers financial support in making employees home office space more ergonomic and comfortable,
• Monthly home expenses are provided  to all our employees to cover part of the costs incurred while working at home (internet, electricity),
• An IT budget is provided to all employees to fully equip their work stations.

At EcoVadis, we value diversity, inclusion and a sense of belonging, and can see how a proper strategy of hybrid and remote work can be beneficial to our culture in realizing these values. Below are some of the most important contributions of our future of work strategy: 

Recruitment: hiring talent outside existing networks and in a variety of locations offers an opportunity to bring even more diverse talent on board.

Newcomer and employee experience: we do our best to address our employees' needs; our HR and Communication team is considering all the feedback and conducting  pulse surveys in order to offer the most efficient solutions.

Sustainability commitment: we hope that our new way of working will contribute to EcoVadis carbon reduction targets, with a dedicated task force in charge to measure the impact of remote working on carbon emissions. 

Community involvement and volunteering opportunities: making the world a better place is part of our DNA, this is why we have enabled our employees to use a platform where they can select from a wide range of charity and community initiatives they want to support, participate in volunteering events - locally and remotely, and  learn at their own pace about topics of social relevance. 

While the future of work might still be uncertain in many ways, there is no question that it requires the employer and employees to maintain flexibility and strengthen the connectivity of people. And although for many companies - as in the case of EcoVadis - the pandemic created manifold challenges, it also triggered new ways of working, welcomed by employees. Embracing that change and finding strategies to adapt is a vital part of who we are at EcoVadis - an approach that leads to a positive future. 

This blog has been co written by EcoVadis HRCOM teammates: Ada Comparan, Edna Santos, Ainsleigh Walker and Beata Borowska.

Find out more about life at EcoVadis and how the company supports its employees, visit www.ecovadis.com/careers and www.linkedin.com/showcase/life-at-ecovadis.