Liberty Insurance Recognised as a “Great Place to Work” for its Digital Working Model
Tue Feb 15 2022
- This is the first time that Liberty has been recognised simultaneously in all of markets in which it operates in Europe: Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
- The new digital structure, based on model mandated by employees, was implemented in March 2021.
Juan Miguel Estallo, CEO for Liberty Insurance, Ireland comment: “For Liberty this is a very important milestone that highlights the importance of involving employees in strategic decision making and building a culture of trust and flexibility.” Thanks to the launch of its new digital remote-working model in March 2021, Liberty Insurance has, for the first time, been recognised simultaneously in the four European markets in which it operates as one of the best companies to work by Great Place To Work, the leading consultancy firm in identifying and certifying the best workplaces worldwide.
The insurer, which employs over 400 people across its Irish operations in Dublin, Cavan and Fermanagh, has achieved this milestone in the four markets in which it operates in Europe – Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Northern Ireland. The certification comes after Liberty worked with its 2,000 employees across Europe to develop and implement a new work model aligned with the company’s global strategy of becoming a 100% cloud-based company. Through surveys and active listening, employees made it clear that they did not want to return to the company’s previous face-to-face working model.
The ‘Liberty Digital Way’, its permanent remote-working model, means that all staff, including its senior leadership team, work primarily remotely, with the option of spending up to 2 days per week in the office, once it is safe to do so, to carry out specific activities or hold face-to-face meetings. It is based on a culture of trust, freedom and flexibility and gives employees the freedom to live anywhere and work anywhere within Ireland and more than 99% of the workforce have backed it since it launched.
As Juan Miguel Estallo, CEO of Liberty Insurance, Ireland explained, “We are proud to obtain this recognition, in Ireland and across our European business, as it demonstrates the importance of encouraging active listening and continuous dialogue with and among employees when it comes to making strategic decisions, such as the implementation of the Liberty Digital Way”.“
Achieving this certification is the result of months of work in collaboration with employees whose main objective was to satisfy and respond to their needs for emotional well-being and professional development in our company”. Michael Skelton, Head of Ireland Intermediary Distribution of Liberty added,“ This certification is testament to our new digital working model. This model has paved the way for a hybrid relationship model with our brokers. In this model, Liberty’s broker team and brokers alike can enjoy the efficiencies of virtual engagement while maintaining the all-important in person meetings. Going forward, we think there is a place for both and finding the right balance will be key.”
Liberty operates its Global Retail Markets business in Europe through Liberty Seguros, headquartered in Madrid, Spain, with branches in Portugal, Ireland and Northern Ireland. The digital working model strengthens this Multi Country Model (MCM), with one Executive Team, corporate functions and business units operating the whole region, instead of having one organisation per market.
