Morten Thorsrud had already used his internal blog to state that If´s Business Management Group had decided to keep most of their meetings digital. (Picture above)
If has decided that the overall company goal is to reduce travelling in 2022 compared with 2019 – the last ordinary travel year. If’s new travel target is to reduce business travel by 50 %. - We want to travel and meet in a more conscious and sustainable way, says If’s Business Meeting Manager Magnus Hagström.
In 2019, approximately 17,000 flights were made within If. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, travel came to a sudden halt, decreasing by more than 75 %. If has decided not to go back to the pre-pandemic normal, even when normal travel can be resumed.
– We have a goal to reduce travelling by 50 % in 2022, compared with 2019. This target has been set in close cooperation with all business areas. We have also had a dialogue with the unions. Travelling less makes us more environmentally friendly, and saves us costs in a meaningful way, says Magnus Hagström, who is a Business Meeting Manager at If.
We have a goal to reduce travelling by 50 % in 2022, compared with 2019. This target has been set in close cooperation with all business areas.
A sustainable and caring meeting culture
For the new target, If has expanded the travel policy with a new set of meeting guidelines. The purpose of the meeting guidelines is to help employees to decide when to travel to physical meetings or when to meet digitally instead. The guidelines provide several overall tips for good meetings, and help the employees to choose between arranging a physical or a digital meeting.
– During the pandemic, we have shown that we can run our business without travelling, and with digital meetings only. We will use these learnings to maintain a culture of reduced travel, thereby creating a lot of benefits for the environment, for If, and for all of us and our families.
By reducing the longer working days caused by frequent travelling making up long working days, time will be unlocked in everyday life, and this can also reduce stress, says Astrid Holm, who is Head of Nordic HR.
Digital meetings are If’s preferred alternative to travelling. To support this culture and the new ways of working, If makes continual improvements at the offices and has equipped new rooms with devices for Teams meetings.
– We have integrated Teams with our video solution, and installed Teams equipment in about 150 meeting rooms around the Nordic region to facilitate digital meetings, says Magnus Hagström.
It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure that travelling is conducted in compliance with the Travel Instruction.
The travel policy in brief:
- When deciding between a physical, Teams or hybrid meeting – consider the purpose of the meeting.
- Teams is the best choice if the main purpose of the meeting has a fixed agenda, and consists of a status update, information and knowledge sharing, presentations, business follow-ups, etc.
- A physical meeting is the best choice if the building of relationships and culture is the main purpose. Face-to-face meetings provide opportunities to engage and connect, to collaborate and innovate, and to build trust and relationships – both individually and within the team.
- A hybrid meeting is an alternative to a Teams meeting – some participants are present in a meeting room/location, while others participate virtually on Teams, and content is the main purpose of the meeting. With a hybrid meeting, the goal should be to provide a very similar experience (whether live or virtual) for all attendees.
Magnus Hagström
Business Meeting Manager, Gothenburg
Astrid Holm
Head of Nordic HR Business Partner, Oslo
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