STRATEGIC REPORT
21
finding new ways
OUR COLLEAGUES We immediately increased our remote working capacity from around 300 to over 1,000, and within weeks equipped 99% of our colleagues with new technology and other equipment to enable them to work at home productively. This was a significant transition for a predominantly office-based community and demonstrated their agility to adapt and the Group’s responsiveness to drive change. We are very aware of the challenges colleagues face when working from home and particularly for those with additional caring responsibilities. We quickly introduced a number of flexible working arrangements and provided a range of wellbeing support to ensure our colleagues were safeguarded. All of our colleagues remain on full pay and the Group has not used the government’s job retention scheme. We are rightly proud of our award-winning service, and of our strong social purpose, which together deliver a “Just” experience to our customers. Our colleagues are at the heart of this and we are grateful for the immense contribution they make to our business and for the way they have adapted to our new way of working during the pandemic.
of working to support customers
READ MORE DETAIL ABOUT HOW WE HAVE SUPPORTED OUR COLLEAGUES ON PG.40
Putting colleagues’ and customers’ needs at the forefront of our COVID-19 response
OUR CUSTOMERS We have maintained the delivery of all the Group’s services to customers, most of whom are in the more vulnerable groups. To support our customers through this difficult period, we made a number of changes to our products and services: • in our Lifetime Mortgage business, we introduced procedures to help people navigate the constrained conveyancing and advice process; • we reduced interest rates on our lifetime mortgages for those customers who had passed away or moved into long-term care and were unable to sell their property because the housing market was effectively closed for a number of weeks; and • we implemented a new temporary capital guarantee feature for our long-term care products to return the total premium less any income paid should the customer pass away within 12 months of the policy inception date.
The development of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 has brought unprecedented change to the way businesses operate, both in the UK and globally. In responding to the pandemic, the imperatives that guided our actions were protecting the welfare of our colleagues across the Group and ensuring the delivery of critical services to customers.
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