The pandemic radically revolutionised our way of working, not only because of the explosive increase in remote working, but also because it made us realised that we had to radically rethink how we use work spaces, methods and mechanisms in relation to a reality that will never be the same again. One thing, in fact, is certain: when we can finally consider the Covid emergency over, the way we work will be completely different from what it was before. The question everyone is asking is: “What will it be like?”. We spoke about this issue with Emilia Rio, Terna's Head of People Organization and Change, who explained what the market will need but also how Terna, as operator of the Italian electricity system and director of the energy transition, is organising itself to meet changes that will come and to become an example for all companies called to face a post-pandemic world.
Regarding work and human resources, Terna is organizing itself to anticipate the changes that will come and become an example for all the companies called to face the post-pandemic reality. Interview with Emilia Rio, head of People organization and Change.
Ms Rio, you have repeatedly stated that what you experienced during the pandemic was not smart working, but more like home working, what is the fundamental difference between these two work methods?
«Thanks to the technological tools that are available to us we experienced a rushed conversion to remote working in order to react to a situation that caught us off guard. Employees simply found themselves working from home: we saw people working from their kitchens, from their bedrooms, from makeshift spaces. I believe that these are not conditions that would foster a health work/life balance. What we lived through cannot be considered an example of smart working, but rather a reaction to a crisis».
How did Terna do?
«Terna did not stop, it kept on going. The company established safety rules to guarantee that operators continued to do field work and, during lockdown, it had all employees who could work from home. As time goes on we are creating conditions to anticipate and regulate changes that affect the workplace. We have already launched NexTerna, a programme comprised of seven sites that are focussed on the digitalisation of processes and tools which will be able to guarantee productivity and efficiency but will also ensure a better quality of life for our employees, includes those who are smart working».
So it wasn’t just a passing experiment, do you think that smart working has now permanently become part of the way that we work?
«Smart working is here to stay. No-one wants to go back to working in an office five days a week. Therefore, we need to rethink how we work and how we set up our spaces. Terna is doing this in a few different ways: first we have created new co-working spaces in Rome, a city where commuting is difficult. We looked at where the homes of our colleagues were concentrated and we traced a 3 kilometre perimeter, which is the maximum distance they have to travel to reach these work spaces which are located near Termini station and South Rome. This way our colleagues can work comfortably, with suitable technology and a dedicated space. At the same time we have launched an important discussion on how best to use office spaces. We need spaces that meet new needs and allow us to coordinate the work of those that come to the office, but also of those using co-working spaces and those working remotely. When we go into the office, we book a personal space using an app».
How do these new habits affect the company?
«The first thing that needs to change is the role of leader, who is now called on to manager a reality that is different from what we experienced during the pandemic. We carried out a survey, asking Terna employees “What do you expect from a boss?”. With their answers we built a new leadership model that is based on three challenges: continue to guarantee worker performance, ensure engagement and foster personal well-being. We also added four principles to the model and they have become our compass points: sustainability, engagement, innovation, and resourcefulness. Then you need to have what we call a value core, that holds together all the values needed to face new challenges: these values are courage, loyalty and inclusion».
Speaking of sustainability, how do you reconcile the changers that the labour market is experiencing with the energy transition that is underway? Your co-working model fits into the concept of the “15-minute city” which people have been talking about quite a lot recently ...
«The 15-minute city implies a major urban redesign. We are already applying this idea by giving our colleagues the possibility of going to co-working spaces without have to cross the whole city to go into the office. If I work less than 3 kilometres from my home then I can travel that distance on foot, by bike, with an electric scooter, I don’t need to use my car and pollute. We are also facilitating subscriptions to electric car sharing services so that our colleagues can travel sustainably. Changing our habits will be fundamental, as will guaranteeing greater flexibility. It will take time, the transformation won’t be fast, but Terna wants to become a role model, a practical example to aspire to, in order to do what needs to be done to foster the transition».
When we talk about sustainability, we also refer to the social and governance aspects that characterise a company. Are there any innovations that you would consider important in terms of welfare to foster a better work-life balance?
«This is an incredible time because it allows us to experiment. Terna has only just begun. In terms of welfare, we offer loans to help our workers. To foster better work-life balance we have inaugurated a company nursery at our headquarters called “MiniWatt” that can accept up to 23 children aged 6 to 36 months. We have started to seriously consider the need to make work hours increasingly flexible in order to create the best conditions for the women and men that work at Terna».
Your company is the “World’s Best Employer 2021” in the Utilities category according to Forbes. What are your strengths?
«The courage to experiment. During this period of transformation, Terna has but itself on the line. During the pandemic we didn’t leave our colleagues on their own, we provided healthcare assistance and reorganised the work of our operating technicians, guaranteeing that they could work in safe conditions. There is constant dialogue between the top management and the employees. We don’t impose decisions from on high, but initiatives that are the result of constant dialogue. In this context, our CEO Stefano Donnarumma, played an incredibly important role, personally explaining the importance of safety, to help people understand that there was a shared project that involved all the company’s professionals. An important message in a period like the one that we are living through».