How Banque Palatine wants to make teleworking an employer brand element

How Banque Palatine Aims to Make Remote Work a Key Employer Branding Asset

This was the title of the article published by InfoRHSocial on September 13, following the interview we gave to Steve Caroff, HR Department Manager at Banque Palatine.

To structure the implementation of remote work within its organization, Banque Palatine chose our solution, BeeMyFlex, in November 2021. After an initial testing phase, our application was fully adopted.

In the summer of 2022, we interviewed Steve Caroff to understand how remote work was implemented within his company. Here are his insights and Banque Palatine’s experience—a great example of a company that successfully transitioned to hybrid work and equipped itself to make this transformation a strength.

👉 Read the full interview here:

Question 1: The development of remote work accelerated with the 2020-2021 health crisis. How did Banque Palatine approach this new way of working?

The topic of implementing remote work had already been under consideration at Banque Palatine before the health crisis in March 2020. As early as 2018, the bank had experimented with this work model with some employees. However, the mass shift to remote work in spring 2020 significantly accelerated our reflections on the subject.

By July 2020, an 18-month agreement was signed with labor unions to expand the scope of remote work to nearly all employees. While teleworking was mandatory during lockdowns, the bank quickly realized that work models were evolving and that structuring this transition was necessary to sustain it.

Question 2: What challenges did you encounter in implementing hybrid work at Banque Palatine?

The main challenge was finding the right balance regarding the number of remote workdays allowed or required. Banque Palatine has obligations to be present for its clients due to the nature of its business. Additionally, some roles and regulatory constraints make remote work difficult or even impossible.

It was essential to educate both labor unions and employees to ensure they understood that although 100% remote work was feasible during lockdowns, it was not a viable long-term model.

Question 3: You chose BeeMyFlex to manage your hybrid work organization and have been using it for nine months now. Why did you need such a solution? What benefits have you gained?

Once our remote work agreement was accepted by all, we needed tools to help employees update and track their schedules under this new hybrid work model. We also needed a system to monitor compliance with our agreement at the company level.

Initially, we tried using our leave and absence management system, but it was not designed for hybrid work tracking. The lack of user-friendly features made it difficult for employees to use daily and for HR to track and report on remote work trends.

We started looking for a more flexible, intuitive, and user-friendly solution, and BeeMyFlex quickly stood out. If we were going to introduce an ‘additional tool’ for employees, it needed to be efficient and time-saving.

BeeMyFlex integrates with our payroll system and offers a quick and intuitive interface for updating schedules. Today, all 1,200 of our employees have been using it daily since November 2021, and it fits well with our hybrid work model.

Question 4: There’s been a lot of talk about the ‘Great Resignation.’ Companies are struggling to recruit talent. How does remote work flexibility help attract and retain employees?

The 2020 health crisis had both economic and social impacts. One key effect was that remote work became the norm in many companies.

Now, remote work flexibility is a common topic in job interviews, whereas it was rarely discussed before 2020. A flexible work organization that allows remote or satellite office work is a competitive advantage for attracting new talent and retaining existing employees.

Having a solution like BeeMyFlex to manage hybrid work effectively is also a significant asset for our company.

Question 5: How do you see the future of work models in the coming years? What new challenges will companies face?

Remote work has undeniable benefits, but only when properly managed and structured. The spring of 2020 showed that full-time remote work, especially when imposed rather than chosen, has downsides. It can lead to social disconnection, isolation, and demotivation when employees lose the sense of collective teamwork.

The challenge for companies will be to maintain a balanced level of flexibility—one that benefits both employees and businesses. As the saying goes, ‘One person’s happiness should not come at the expense of another’s.‘

At Banque Palatine, after our first 18-month agreement, we opted for a new temporary 12-month agreement. The reason is simple: although we gained some experience with remote work, the repeated lockdowns and health measures prevented us from properly testing our system.

Since March 2022, with better health conditions, we have been fully implementing our agreement. By 2023, we will assess our findings to negotiate a long-term remote work agreement.

Question 6: BeeMyFlex has now been deployed across Banque Palatine for several months and is used by all employees. What are the initial feedback and observations?

The solution was tested within our HR trials before being fully rolled out in November 2021. So far, it appears to be well-suited for everyone and easy to use.

With the integration of Zenpark Pro Flex into the app, employees can also book their parking spots when coming to the office, making daily planning more seamless. The app has greatly improved workplace organization and employee experience.

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🎙 A huge thank you to Steve Caroff from Banque Palatine for this insightful interview and for sharing valuable perspectives on hybrid work strategies.

📢 Read the full interview in our press release here: View the press release

See you soon for more flex work insights! 🚀