As organisations across the UK face up to the challenge of hybrid working, Nationwide Building Society has made headlines with a bold approach.

In our latest Sequel Presents: A Coffee With, we spoke to Senior Internal Communications Manager Kate Shaw to find out how the Society is trusting its employees to shape its next steps and how internal communicators are playing a vital role in keeping people connected.

She spoke about Nationwide’s ground-breaking Future of Work report and the Society’s ongoing commitment to extensive research as it puts listening at the heart of its response.

For instance, Nationwide has used feedback from around 9,000 of its employees to inform a six-point ‘Work Anywhere’ policy, which is a blueprint for its approach.

It includes:

1. A commitment to let employees choose where they work, subject to suitability
2. A ‘recruit anywhere’ policy, which means new starters need no longer be tied to a particular office
3. Inclusive meeting principles, so people feel included, wherever they are based
4. Continued investment in Nationwide offices, despite the move to hybrid working
5. Prioritising wellbeing, now and in the future
6. The more we listen, the more we learn. Making feedback mechanisms constant and acting on employee insights.

Kate also gave several tips for internal communicators and businesses on negotiating the journey to a hybrid workplace while keeping colleagues connected.

Missed it? Don’t miss out. Click here to request a full recording of Kate’s full conversation with Sequel’s Becky Leonard.