Over half of insurance staff want to remain home working post pandemic - KPMG

More than half (53%) of insurance professionals want to continue working from home post-Covid-19, while 29% of insurance staff have said that they would prefer to work from home permanently, according to research by professional services firm KPMG and independent body the Financial Services Skills Commission.

The research, which polled 632 employees working within the financial services sector, revealed that 78% of insurance staff are currently remote working, compared to 74% of banking employees and 81% of asset management professionals.

A further 14% of insurance professional respondents said that they wanted to relocate as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Across financial services staff more broadly, those aged between 31 and 45 are the most driven to work more flexibly (53%) and workers under 30 are the keenest to work from home permanently (28%).

Speaking on these findings, Mel Newton, head of financial services people consulting at KPMG UK, said: “Covid-19 has created a global shift in ways of working.

“With much of the workforce scattered across a variety of home-offices, kitchen tables and spare bedrooms, this has presented both difficulty and, in some cases, welcome flexibility.

“It is important to note that only half of the workforce want to continue working this way, and that clear division is important.

“It demonstrates that flexibility is more than just allowing people to work from home on the occasional Friday – what the future workforce wants is personal choice.

“Following the pandemic, employers can’t offer blanket solutions when it comes to how their employees work. They will make the best of their talent if they employ them more thoughtfully.”