Is a return to pre-Covid working beneficial?

Over the past few weeks, especially as we do look like we’re going to hit the requirements of the Government’s roadmap, I suspect few business aren’t wondering how they turn this theory back into practice.

I’ve seen a growing number of business and organisations, for example, talking about how they have no intention of asking staff to come into an office environment full-time, with home and remote working having worked so well over the last 12 months.

In years to come, I think this will be a definitive line in the sand in terms of changing the way we work, particularly for office workers who have been told for many years that any kind of flexible working away from the central hub doesn’t work. I think we can safely put that one to bed now.

For all of us, it’s been about the quality of the tech, and the quality of staff. Imagine how we might have coped 20 years ago – actually, scrub that, let’s not think about it because there is no way on earth it could have been as smooth.

What it has clearly shown to us as a business which looks after the clients of you, the introducing broker, is that a) we can work with such scenarios but b) we have been reliant on our excellent staff to deliver themselves whilst having to work in an environment which may not have been the most work-friendly they have ever found themselves in.

The fact that they’ve been able to do it is heartening beyond belief, and as mentioned, gives us plenty of confidence to be able to offer the flexible working opportunities which are now part of the norm.

It’s also brought home to me that our business is nothing without the staff, and having recognised that, we are doing everything we can to make the environment work for them, not the other way round. Pay and benefits make up a big part of this but also supporting their mental health needs, or offering them the training and mentorship they need to progress, as well as being as inclusive as we can. Essentially, we want to make SMG a great place to work.

The other point to be made here is back to the calibre of the staff we have, because there can be no doubt that if our introducers have total confidence in that, and the service we are providing to their clients, then it makes all our jobs that much easier.

Just recently we’ve added a number of advisers to our team and they come from a number of sources, however’ it’s been interesting to see a number coming from high-street banks with considerable experience. Of course, it’s a different environment here but it’s still financial services and what we’ve noticed is how immersed they are in, for example, compliance and how it goes hand in hand with every single decision they make.

I don’t think we can under-estimate how important that is, because clearly we want to get to the right decisions in a compliant manner, and with these individuals – who have lived and breathed it in previous roles – we can be absolutely confident in what they are doing and how it is underpinned by our strong regulatory framework.

Overall, this period has been a game-changer and gives us cause and the opportunity to re-evaluate what we’re doing for our staff, and what we can provide them to ensure our environment keeps them with us for the long term, whilst also delivering added value for our introducers and their customers.