General Motors has introduced a new flexible working policy worldwide called ‘Work appropriately’.
CEO Mary Barra and other GM managers detailed US media about how the automaker plans to reintegrate its 155,000 global employees in a post-vaccine work world, CNBC reported. The flexible, evolving policy would vary depending on the employee, week and project, executives said.
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The report said the policy could see more training conducted remotely for 87,000 hourly factory workers whose jobs require them to be at factories. Or it could mean allowing a salaried employee to work permanently from home or run a mixed schedule of office and remote working.
“It is not about a policy or a one-size-fits-all approach,” GM global talent director told CNBC. “But truly that evolution of our culture for everyone.”
Officials said the decision to create the programme followed feedback from employees many of whom have been working remotely for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. GM conducted several surveys regarding how and where employees would prefer to work in the future, they added.
CNBC noted the name of the new remote working plan was a play on the name of the company’s simplified dress code, which Barra began while heading human resources from 2009-2011. She replaced a 10-page dress code policy with two words: ‘Dress appropriately’.
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By GlobalDataGM recently held 52 workshops for 1,100 company managers to detail the remote work initiative, officials told media. Each manager would work with their employees to determine what was an appropriate work schedule.
“The learnings and successes of the last year led us to introduce how we will manage the future of work at GM, called ‘Work Appropriately’. This means that where the work permits, employees have the flexibility to work where they can have the greatest impact on achieving our goals,” Barra said in a LinkedIn post.
CNBC said GM would not estimate how much it could save on office-related costs as a result of the new initiative. Executives also declined to forecast how many employees were expected to remain remote. Jones said having such an estimate would go “against the philosophy” of the initiative.
Ford said a month ago it would introduce a hybrid work schedule that gives nonmanufacturing employees more flexibility over when they head to the office.
GM also believes its new policy, which it is calling a “mindset”, would help lure new employees, some of whom would not work in traditional GM locations.
CNBC noted GM declined to update on when employees who were working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic would return to the office. It previously confirmed a goal of June or July, but said that would be based on local regulations.
