Location-independent, Flexible Working Model

Mey|Diageo has switched to location-independent, flexible working model upon the agreement of its employees.

Mey|Diageo has brought innovation to the actions as part of the change process it initiated prior to the pandemic, in line with the changing ways of doing business and the needs of its employees, and switched to a location-independent, flexible working model.

Mey|Diageo, one of the first companies to switch to location-independent working model during the pandemic, has brought innovation to the actions as part of the change process it initiated prior to the pandemic, in line with the changing ways of doing business and the needs of its employees. Having switched to location-independent, flexible working model as of January 1, 2021, the company has built the new model with a focus on 3 areas, namely Working Model, Communication and Competence. Bringing innovations to workplaces, related fringe benefits, working hours, communication and competencies, thanks to the flexible working model, Mey|Diageo intends to create an agile ecosystem in all aspects, free from hierarchy, centered on justice, focused on empathy and compassion, in which all of the co-workers, regardless of their positions, fully respect and trust each other.

Stating that establishing a new working approach as part of the change project they have been long working on is one of the top priorities for them, Birsen Cevik Akgunlu, the Human Resources Director at Mey|Diageo, said, “In addition to the conditions brought by the new world order, the changing and developing expectations of our employees lie behind this renewal process. Especially after the pandemic, employees shift from 'work-life balance' to 'work-life integration' and want reduction in the number of meetings and e-mails and simplify their business processes. The digitized way of doing business brings the need for transparent communication and trust to the fore more than ever. Taking into consideration all these new conditions as part of the change process, we have made a "New Beginning" and completely renewed our working approach.

85% of employees want a hybrid work model

Based on the survey conducted by Mey|Diageo for its employees, alternative questions were asked about making working models more flexible. 85% of the employees wanted a hybrid working model and 11% wanted to work full-time location-independent, while 4% wanted to work full-time at the office. The new working model, which is based on the survey results and the global practices of Diageo, has been redesigned so as to allow flexible working, in accordance with everyone's needs. In accordance with the new working model, which allows employees to work full-time, location-independent, full-time at the office, and based on a hybrid model that is a blend of the two, all the head office employees, except for those who always have to work at the office due to the requirements of their positions, can work flexibly, in accordance with their personal needs. In addition, employees, who prefer to work location-independent, are provided with new fringe benefits such as support for the ergonomics of their workplace and Internet support.

Leaving the working space to the choices of its employees with a focus on efficiency and expecting the workplace to be accessible in 24 hours, Mey|Diageo plans to open a satellite office on the Anatolian side, in addition to the head office on the European side of Istanbul, in order to facilitate transportation of its employees who want to work at the office. Having also renewed its head office in line with the needs that have arisen after the pandemic, Mey|Diageo wants to ensure health and safety of its employees at the office with sanitation areas, tea/coffee stations on each floor, 2-meter-wide corridors, workstations with separators, table/room reservation system and flexible personnel service.

Flexible working hours set by the employees according to their needs

With a decision to hold group meetings or meetings between different departments at certain times of the day in order to allow employees to meet their individual needs, Mey|Diageo aims to make sure that the time when large number of people needs to work together becomes clear, and to help employees arrange remaining working hours according to their own needs.  Employees can plan their working hours flexibly according to their schedule and share this with their teammates. 

Strengthening communication and competencies lies at the heart of business

Putting communication at the center of the adjustments it makes, Mey|Diageo moves the chats, which used to take place prior to the pandemic, to the virtual environment in order to make sure that communication is as strong as before and continuous during remote work. Making various technological platforms available for its employees to use, Mey|Diageo also shares the digital guides it has created with its employees to ensure that these platforms are used more effectively and efficiently. In addition, the company holds digital workshops on where and how its employees can use digital platforms to enhance their competencies, and publishes training on agile thinking, flexibility in change, innovation in the digital age, etc., through its digital academy.

“Our new working approach is not only a policy but a philosophy.”

Stating that their new working approach is not only a policy but a philosophy, Birsen Cevik Akgunlu added: “We wanted to build the ecosystem, which we strove to create based on this philosophy, together with our employees, because it was critical for us to ensure that all employees understood the underlying mindset. This is why we set up a committee consisting of different departments. Operating based on collaborative working and making decisions on the actions that can be taken in line with the changing needs of and feedback from our co-workers, the committee shares the decisions taken with the entire company.  The practices, which have been and will be put into place, are based on these decisions.”

About Mey|Diageo

Founded in 2004 following privatization of the alcoholic beverages department of Tekel, Mey continues to operate in Türkiye as two separate companies, one for production and the other for sales and marketing. Since 2011, Mey has been operating under the umbrella of Diageo, the alcoholic beverage producer trading in approximately 180 countries with regional offices in 80 countries. Maintaining being a company accountable to the public as of the day of its incorporation, Mey has become one of the largest companies in Türkiye, thanks to its more than 2 thousand employees, including its distributor and sales teams, by combining the talents of its employees with the power of its brands. 

For information

Selim Zeytinoglu / BN Strategic Communication / [email protected]