DIRECT INSURANCE SWITCHES TO HOME WORKING MODEL

Specialty broker Direct Insurance Group is offering all of its 160 employees the option of working from home on a permanent basis. The firm will keep its eight offices open in the UK, Europe and North America, giving employees the option of working in one of its offices, homeworking or a combination of both. Chief executive David Bearman said: “I’m excited and delighted to be the first insurance company to formally announce this. Embracing remote working permanently is primarily about the wellbeing of our staff and we have seen how effective working from home can be. Over the last nine weeks, our group has not merely survived the lockdown, we’ve actually thrived.” Despite staff working remotely since March due to the pandemic, the broker says enquiries have increased by more than a quarter.