Sector: Financial services; Banking

Services:

• Purpose: Role of business in society; narrative.

• Strategic communications: Senior counsel; Corporate affairs

In the midst of a global pandemic it’s hard to look beyond the immediate issues: firefighting can be all consuming and long term planning a luxury. However, it is often the right moment to consider what role you can play in shaping the future. A building society took such an opportunity in the summer of 2020 - to consider what the future could look like beyond Covid and the role it should play in making it happen. 

Thought leadership is an oft derided term but done in a considered way aligned with strategic intent, it can reinforce or shift perceptions. The ‘Future of ...’ series of reports by the building society were designed to consider how we might work, live and convene in the post-Covid world. The reports would bring together organisations from different sectors providing insight, opinion and recommendations for change. 

The first report launched in March 2021 - ‘The Future of Work’ - was aligned with building society’s plan to allow all its 13k office-based employees to work from anywhere indefinitely. The report’s findings were underpinned with research from IPSOS MORI and the views of a range of organisations from the world of retail, public sector, recruitment, financial services and accountancy. The ‘Future of Home’ report landed in July using a similar approach and further reports will follow over the coming months.

Changing people’s perceptions of an organisation is incremental but the building society started from a good place. For many, the ‘Future of…’ series is another demonstration of a forward-looking business that clearly sees its role in helping to support meaningful and positive change.