Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 3, 2023 11 ON THE RECORD | Q&A top market for insurance and tech- nology talent, particularly in health and employee benefits, which has become a much larger focus of our business. Bringing our team to down- town Hartford makes us a strong home for industry talent. In addition, access to public transportation was key to our search. Hartford is also experiencing regrowth in business and entertain- ment, and we're excited to offer our employees access to great restau- rants, museums and more when they come into the office. The Gold Building is also rela- tively easy to get to and has parking. We were able to offer free parking to all staff. Q. Has it been a challenge trying to get workers to return to the office? A. In all of our offices across North America we are hybrid. That's our offi- cial policy. We have no office mandates but we are encouraging people to use the office for collaboration. Our offices have been fully reopened for about a year but people are not coming in, in big numbers. We are trying to change that. We just introduced 'Together Tuesdays' to try to get more people into the office at least on Tuesdays and have as many meetings as possible on those days. We are going to provide food and other draws to bring people in. But we are not planning any office mandates. In most of our offices attendance is between 10% to 15% spread throughout the week. Tuesday through Thursday tends to be higher in-person attendance and Monday and Friday lower. Q. How is your office space designed to accommodate your flexible work model? A. We created spaces where people want to work. When employees do utilize an office, they get a comfortable, modern workspace equipped with the newest communication and confer- encing technology, and some of the comforts of home we all became used to during the pandemic, such as a fully equipped kitchen, meditation and relaxation rooms, and comfort- able furniture in meeting spaces. The office is wide open, has large windows with great views of the city and has neighborhoods. An area called the 'library' is where people go for quiet, heads-down work. But the majority of the space, about two-thirds, is designed for people to get together and collaborate, whether casually in the cafe or kitchen, or more formally for team meetings or bigger events. The office is primarily being used for events, team meetings or training so it's set up to support those kinds of activities. We have also removed the head- quarters label from our office outside Boston, and instead we refer to each of our offices as business hubs. It helps put employees on equal footing, no matter where they are located, including virtually, and fosters a more inclusive work environment. Q. For employees who are coming into the office, what are the driving factors? A. The primary reason people come in is because they want to see other people. When we have meetings, events and project teams getting together, we get good participation. What people don't want to do is come to the office to just do heads- down work. A big barrier for people coming into the office is the commute, but we haven't had any trouble getting people to travel for business. In fact, there is a lot of enthusiasm for it. They just don't see the value of commuting to do head-down work. Q. Will your work model change? A. No, we are committed to hybrid, which means no office mandates. Productivity is up, turnover is down, employee engagement is up, business renewals are up. So, what problem are we trying to solve? The world has changed perma- nently and we have to adapt to that. Q. What does Hartford need to do to recruit more companies like Sun Life? A. There are a lot of global compa- nies with a midsize presence in the U.S., and of course the labor market in Hartford is very attractive, so that presents a good opportunity. Talking to global insurers and selling them on the insurance exper- tise in Hartford would be a great thing to do to get more companies like ours to put an office in Hartford. I think Hartford is already doing what it needs to do. We're seeing more entertainment, culture, and restaurant options in the city, in addition to more options for modern city residences. Supporting cultural destinations like the Amistad Center, which we've partnered with, is important to making the city a desirable place to live and work. Now that Sun Life has a brand-new office in Hartford, we're looking forward to hosting more events here and showing our employees from all over New England and other parts of the country what this city has to offer. Washington Trust Wealth Management® is a registered trademark of The Washington Trust Company, which has licensed its use to its parent, affiliates, and subsidiaries, including Washington Trust Advisors, Inc. Investment products are offered through Washington Trust Wealth Management. Non-deposit investment products are: not deposits; not FDIC insured; not insured by any federal government agency; not guaranteed by the Bank; may go down in value. Long-term planning for you. For them. For everyone to come. 800.582.1076

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