TRIP.com Group has launched its “2021 Hybrid Work Trial”, a programme which seeks to determine if hybrid work can be part of its future work culture.
A continuation of its “Work From Home Trial” projects launched in 2010 and 2020, which covered customer service personnel, this initiative involves technical, product, business, marketing and functional roles in its Shanghai headquarters. Running for six months from August 9 to January 30, 2022, it will see employees work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays.
According to an employee survey, 76% of employees volunteered sign up for working from home, and 70% believed that working from home is more flexible and efficient. In addition, 50% said they had clear work goals and that the output of working from home could be well measured.
A finance employee from the airline business department said working from home reduces commuting time and makes time management more flexible. A quieter working space could also make work more efficient.
Trip.com Group says it will monitor and analyse data on the impact of working from home on employee performance, on the progress of team projects, employee experience and reaction, and talent retention and attraction. Upon verifying the feasibility of the model, hybrid working options are expected to be offered to more employees.
As far back as 2010, the group had launched a nine-month ‘Work from Home Trial’ involving customer service staff. The results showed that when all employees who felt they were comfortable working from home actually did so, their performance increased from 13% in the randomised trial to 22%. At the same time, employees had higher job satisfaction and the job turnover rate had dropped by 50%.
Based on this trial experience, during the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak, nearly 70% of Trip.com Group’s customer service staff across 11 business lines were able to quickly implement work from home, with some departments having nearly 85% of their staff working from home. The results showed that people who worked from home could get more work done because they were not affected by factors such as office distractions and commuting times.
To help women find a balance between family and work, the group introduced a staggered work system in 2019, allowing employees to freely choose their working hours, which enables working parents to pick up their children from school.
In terms of maternity welfare for employees, Trip.com Group offers female employees RMB800 gift money and up to RMB3,000 allowance in addition. Pregnant employees also receive a transport allowance, which Trip.com Group invests more than a million RMB in every year.
In May this year, Trip.com Group launched the ‘T-Benefits’ project, a benefit for all employees, giving them access to exclusive low prices on travel products. The head of Trip.com Group’s Employee Value Proposition (EVP) Program said that the ‘T-Benefits’ project is part of Trip.com Group’s new employer branding initiative, which aims to encourage employees to become ‘travellers’ outside of work.
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