The Future of Work: how Enel employees guided our planning
The Future of Work: how Enel employees guided our planning
We believe there is no one-size-fits-all work model, which is why we embraced a teams-led, flexibility first workplace, not only for the wellbeing and productivity of our workforce, but to open up access for job seekers across the country to join the energy transition.
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When we initially shifted our North American employees to work fully remote, we were unsure if it would be feasible. The safety of our employees comes first, no matter what, and we knew we had to adjust. While transitioning presented us with some challenges, we worked together as a company to adapt. Two years later and we have permanently adopted a new flexible work model at Enel because we now believe it’s the best path forward. What led us to make this company-wide change?
Enel’s technological capabilities
Globally, Enel was the first large utility company to fully embrace the cloud model in 2019. We’ve been investing in digitalization efforts across every aspect of the company for many years, and this gave us a flexibility advantage. Our information and communication systems passed the stress test for employees who moved to remote work. At the same time, our employees in the field deployed new digital solutions to minimize human contact and continue their work safely.
Listening to our employees
Studies have shown that flexibility leads to increased productivity, and our own research supports this. We surveyed 43,000 Enel employees globally and found that more flexibility and autonomy resulted in increased satisfaction and work productivity. Despite the obstacles the pandemic brought, Enel employees continued to move the business forward in inspiring fashion.
We put the final decision in the hands of employees
It was clear our employees had a vision of how they want to work and what best suits them, so we had each team decide on the best fit for them. The options included fully remote, remote-first, office-first and onsite, and only about 200 employees chose to be fully remote. The majority elected for a hybrid option.
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Pending the trajectory of the pandemic, Enel North America will make these changes when it is safe to do so. We are regularly gathering feedback from employees, and plan to monitor the successes and drawbacks that come with this model. We are always looking for ways to innovate, which is a core value at Enel.
The benefits of hybrid working
When we roll out our new way of working, the hope is that our employees will not only be more productive and satisfied, but better able to balance their personal and professional lives. One of the major benefits of working from home is reducing commute times for our employees. From a company standpoint, this also means reducing Enel’s environmental impact, in line with our commitment to reach complete decarbonization by 2050.
We also see this flexible model as a major asset in the increasingly competitive talent market. Renewable energy is on an aggressive growth path, with its share of the U.S. electricity mix projected to double by 2050. Offering hybrid work options helps in the recruiting process, as recent studies have shown, and can improve retention rates. In addition, it allows us to expand our hiring efforts to a national market, opening doors for people across the country to access careers in clean energy.
Challenges still ahead
We’ve learned significant lessons over the last two years and are constantly evolving as we adjust to hybrid work. One obstacle our employees faced initially was achieving a sustainable work/life balance. Many have put in longer hours to maintain business operations and growth. We’re currently combatting this by instituting various initiatives, such as no-meeting zones and early closures on Fridays.
We’re also still working to determine when it is beneficial to be in-person versus online. Employee connection is important in sustaining a positive work environment, so we are looking for ways to enable these interactions digitally and decide for which meetings we need to be face-to-face.
Finally, we’re constantly looking for more ways to support the Enel employees who are unable to work remotely. Our engineers and onsite teams are the backbone of Enel, and we take their health and safety seriously. As we work towards further improving their work environments, many of our increased safety measures, like the use of smart glasses to bring teams together for remote troubleshooting and maintenance, will become permanent fixtures of our business.
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Many of the changes brought on by the pandemic are here to stay, so we’re looking ahead at the needs of our workforce and how we’ll continue to accelerate the energy transition in North America. We are optimistic for the future because our employees are resilient and committed to the pursuit of our mission to build a brighter future together.
To join us in this mission, learn more about Enel’s career opportunities here.