New approach will have more employees work from ERIE’s offices on a consistent basis and support the flexibility employees value
Erie Insurance (ERIE) has announced a new approach to flexible work for hybrid employees, one that promises to strengthen in-person collaboration, employee career development, knowledge-sharing and relationship building. The move comes after more than a year of learning and adapting as employees experienced a variety of hybrid work arrangements following the pandemic.
Effective Jan. 2, employees in hybrid roles will be given an allotment of 52 days to work remotely each year. Instead of working predetermined 4:1, 3:2 or 2:3 hybrid schedules each week, employees will work on-site on days that they are not using a remote day. Working with their leaders, employees will determine how best to use their allotment to balance personal flexibility and preference and meet the business needs of their teams.
“When we began to return to on-site work last year, we acknowledged we would need to learn and adapt based on what we experienced,” said Sean Dugan, executive vice president, Human Resources & Corporate Services. “We knew that we’d evolve as we experimented with new ways of working following the pandemic. Now, after more than a year of working in a variety of hybrid arrangements, we’ve learned that we need a more consistent approach to how and where we work.”
Dugan said the company’s new approach will have more employees work from ERIE’s offices on a consistent basis, while still supporting the flexibility employees value. For example, some employees may choose to spread their remote days evenly across the entire year, while others may prefer to use them a week or more at a time.
“We know our employees appreciate flexibility and the ability to work remotely,” he added. “We also know that working together in person offers significant advantages for our employees and for our business.”
Erie Insurance has more than 6,400 employees working across 12 states and the District of Columbia. More than 40% of company employees are in fully remote roles, with most other employees working a hybrid schedule.
ERIE’s President & CEO Tim NeCastro said he understands not every hybrid employee will embrace this change with enthusiasm, but employees have also shared the current hybrid model has led to an overall work experience that is inconsistent, not as engaging and that emptier offices lack vibrancy.
The intent of the new approach, according to NeCastro who shared the update with all company employees Tuesday, is to preserve the unique, relationship-based aspects of ERIE’s business and the vibrant workplaces that are key to employee development, collaboration, creativity and success.
“A workplace that supports richer in-person collaboration, knowledge-sharing and relationship building is foundational to our business model and vital to personal career development,” he said. “It helps us better understand how ERIE’s values are brought to life.”
