Banking on technology to empower employees with new ways of working  

Anne Sheehan

Anne Sheehan

General Manager of Microsoft Ireland

Read Time, 4 min.

AIB extends its relationship with Microsoft to further develop a digitally inclusive and flexible cloud platform that empowers employees with new ways of working 

There has been a seismic shift in employee expectations, with flexible working hours, a desire for a more positive work culture, and strong health and wellbeing policies all top of mind for employees. It’s clear that there is no appetite to revert to the pre-pandemic ways of working, and nor should there be.  

It has now been two years since the ebbing and flowing of restrictions began and hybrid working was accelerated at scale. Now is the time for leaders to consolidate their learnings and implement the necessary tools and infrastructure to make remote and hybrid working a success this year and beyond.  

AIB Group Director of Enterprise Technology and Cloud Engineering Graham Fagan highlights the bank’s journey to becoming a cloud-enabled organisation with a long-term view of technology and a clear perspective on the end user capabilities and requirements. Also vital are the right partners as the cornerstone of successfully enabling employee collaboration, and a seamless workplace experience. 

He said: “Prior to the pandemic, we were already implementing an ambitious strategy to digitise our communication and collaboration capabilities that connect our employees across the business. Working with Microsoft, we were able to create a fully integrated cloud-based solution, bolstered by advanced security solutions in line with the regulatory environment. Microsoft also supported us with a widespread adoption and training programme that has been invaluable for our people in our digital transition. 

“The results of this overall programme meant that we were in a strong position when the pandemic occurred, enabling us to scale our solutions across the business and keep employees connected from day one. However, at that time, AIB was not a major user of laptop technology, and we therefore quickly managed the rollout of over 8,000 Microsoft Surface devices, allowing employees to collaborate and connect remotely using Microsoft Teams. The biggest benefit is that having already had Microsoft cloud services in place, we had access to an integrated ecosystem, rather than having to work across a series of partners to create an eco-system that worked for us. This has enabled us to implement a range of smart solutions to deliver a frictionless user experience for staff.” 

With a strong foundation in place, AIB is now focused on working with Microsoft to spearhead the use of technologies designed for a hybrid work environment, ones that bridge the digital and physical while ensuring every employee can engage and contribute, regardless of where, when, or how they’re working. 

AIB’s Deputy Chief People Officer David McCormack highlights the strategic approach taken by AIB to deliver a best-in-class hybrid working model that enables inclusivity, well-being, and flexibility. He said: “When the majority of people moved to remote working at the onset of the pandemic, we could not have foreseen the changes it would bring to our ways of working. As we now navigate new ways of working, we are maintaining a hybrid working model that encompasses the benefits of remote working, while also giving employees the benefits of in-person time with their own teams and the wider organisation. 

“AIB’s Future of Work programme, which has defined our hybrid model, encompasses three key areas – people, technology, and property. This integrated approach ensures we deliver a fully optimised hybrid work model aligned to our property strategy and footprint, enabled by best-in-class technologies and progressive people policies and principles.   

“Competition for talent is increasing, and we must continually strive to differentiate our offering in the face of unprecedented levels of disruption in financial services. The new hybrid model brings opportunity to recruit a more diverse range of candidates not restricted by geography.  

In order to deliver on this ambition into the future, AIB and Microsoft are working together to create a more integrated and collaborative work environment for employees. The evolvement of Teams and the future integration of capability such as Viva will help achieve this. 

Microsoft Viva has been designed by Microsoft to help empower employees and deliver an improved experience in terms of how they engage, find knowledge, and learn. Additionally, enhancements to Microsoft Teams are making it easier and less distracting to establish a personal presence for those joining hybrid meetings from within a conference room. Being seen and heard is essential to an inclusive meeting environment, as is reliability, and such enhancements to the Teams platforms are crucial to providing this seamless experience. 

Guiding AIB’s approach are the Four C Principles: Connection, Communication, Collaboration and Curation. From the ability to connect remotely and communicate both in person and virtually through an in-office Microsoft Teams experience, AIB is also focused on curating bespoke approaches for different teams based on their needs and interactions. 

Graham continues: “From a technology perspective, culture is maintained across the business by keeping people connected to the bank, ensuring that collaboration is as rich and reliable as it can possibly be. Through our use of Microsoft Teams, we have strong connections across our hybrid working environment, either in-office or remote. And we’re excited about the added momentum Microsoft Viva can bring to employee collaboration, learning and well-being as we move forward.”

 

Learn more in Microsoft’s Hybrid Work: A Guide for Business Leaders

Looking to empower your care Teams?

Read how Microsoft Teams can help.

Discover more related articles per industry:

Education

  • A guide to GDPR for universities

    A guide to GDPR for universities

    With the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation coming into effect on May 25, understand how universities like yours can take the right steps towards compliance with this free eBook – and other useful resources. Your university on a journey on a journey Your university is on a journey with lots of ‘data subjects’. They’re […]

Government

Healthcare

  • The ‘Big Bang’ approach to digital transformation – and how to make it work

    The ‘Big Bang’ approach to digital transformation – and how to make it work

    These days there’s no such thing as ‘business as usual’. Change and disruption are the new normal. Just think of the changes affecting your organization right now, with new technology and techniques driving new attitudes and expectations from employees and customers alike. Everything is changing. And the one thing all those changes have in common […]

  • Two female nurses having a virtual conversation through Microsoft Teams

    Belfast Trust: Reimagining patient care

    “There have been many heroic actions by our staff but we’re not heroes for what we’ve done – I’m just glad we could do our bit to help.” Paul Duffy, Co-Director of IT and Telecommunications at Belfast Trust, is talking about the monumental impact COVID-19 has had on the healthcare sector and how virtual consultations […]

Manufacturing

  • Etex

    Etex uses modern tools to unite its business and better focus on customers

    When it comes to construction, all components must come together in a timely manner in order to produce the optimum product. While Etex, a Belgian building solution manufacturing company, helps make this a reality on a day-to-day basis, it wanted to find a way to enhance productivity and collaboration internally. With locations across more than […]

Retail

  • GDPR and Retail: Four GDPR requirements and how Microsoft can help

    GDPR and Retail: Four GDPR requirements and how Microsoft can help

    Learn how we can help you meet GDPR requirements with solutions available today: Assessing your current risk profile “How do I understand where I am already compliant and where I need to focus next?” This is one of the most common questions from retailers in regard to the GDPR. It’s also one of the hardest to […]

  • HeadBrands is ready for the future with Microsoft 365 Business

    HeadBrands is ready for the future with Microsoft 365 Business

    Since its creation in 2010, HeadBrands has continued to grow, rapidly becoming the leading retailer of hairdressing products in Scandinavia. HeadBrands needed a modern IT solution to increase its business productivity and improve collaboration, both within the company and externally. Its response to this challenge was to replace most of its previous services with Microsoft […]

Discover more related articles per dossier:

Customer Stories

Digital Transformation

  • a group of people sitting at a table in front of a building

    Perspectives on the new culture of work

    We’re living through a period of extraordinary cultural and technological change. As new generations enter the job market, the culture of work is shifting to accommodate new ideas and new ways of working. Meanwhile, technology is redefining the very notion of a workplace – the 9-5 feels increasingly outdated, as collaboration technologies free us to […]

Press

  • 2 people meeting with two surfaces on the table

    Winning the war for talent – the power of digital culture

    Winning the war for talent – the power of digital culture For the first time in history, we now have four generations in the Irish workplace – some organisations have as many as five generations working together. For business leaders, it means that finding and cultivating the best talent has never been more important – […]

Security & Privacy

  • Two people sitting and standing in front of a computer

    How to disarm the threat of Shadow IT

    One of the biggest threats to business security comes from within. Are you equipped to deal with the threat of shadow IT? Microsoft’s extensive Work Reworked report shows that with change becoming the new norm for businesses everywhere, the challenges to security lie not just from outside the organisation but also from within. Throwing open […]

Tips

  • 5 ways to keep employees engaged and productive

    5 ways to keep employees engaged and productive

    Your business will never possess a more powerful competitive advantage than your employees. Are you making the right choices to take full advantage of that value – or even to hang on to it? Help your employees stay engaged, satisfied and productive Just 13% of global workers are highly engaged and highly satisfied with their […]