05 January 2021

The first part of #OneChange Reloaded highlights two of UniCredit Etiquette’s four pillars: Work-Life Balance and Effective Communication

2:00 Min
In July 2020, we leveraged our Etiquette to launch UniCredit’s #OneChange campaign to spread the power of positive change. To kick off the initiative, a message from our CEO, Jean Pierre Mustier, explained the importance of working together as One Bank, because “if we all commit to making one change, we will build a better team and a better UniCredit”. Jean Pierre Mustier has committed to improving his work-life balance by taking micro-breaks to digitally detox throughout the workday.

Etiquette Pillar #1: Work-Life Balance and Welfare

“The global pandemic has brought great attention to the importance of wellbeing, and it is our responsibility to ensure we are looking out for our people. It is important to give colleagues space to reflect, to rest, and to re-energise. I’m also holding myself accountable to lead by example.” Paolo Cornetta, Head of Group Human Capital

A recent study suggests that today's remote working trends trigger higher work-related stress and fatigue due to the overlapping of private life and work duties. According to Forbes, organisations are combating these challenges and protecting their people’s welfare by prioritising boundaries and recommending leaders to encourage teams to switch on the “airplane mode”. Be it encouraging days off, longer lunch breaks, or prioritising family needs, leaders are recognising and respecting the sacred “me time” for everyone. Quoting the Forbes article, “No matter what is happening at work, life is happening simultaneously, especially right now.”

UniCredit’s July 2020 campaign encouraged leaders to make #OneChange commitments to help protect our people’s work-life balance. Richard Burton, CEO of UniCredit CIB, has emphasised the importance of work-life separation and vowed to “allow employees to leave work at work” by setting realistic deadlines for deliverables. Niccolò Ubertalli, Co-CEO of Commercial Banking CEE, has encouraged time to disconnect and promised to “protect employees’ time off by pledging to never send emails outside working hours unless it is of paramount importance.”

Etiquette Pillar #2: Effective Communication

“I promise to use emails responsibly by writing concise and precise messages and encouraging others to do the same” Andrea Casini, Co-CEO Commercial Banking Italy

The effects of hyper-communication in remote working erode the work-life equilibrium because it demands more of our time, leaving fewer hours to take care of ourselves and our family’s needs. McKinsey’s best practices urge leaders to cultivate open and compassionate conversations with their teams within established working hours. This means shifting communication patterns to meet the team’s needs and developing healthy habits for an engaged workforce.

As part of the #OneChange campaign, UniCredit’s leadership has committed to deploy better communication strategies, such as active listening and respecting everyone’s input. Max Hohenberg, Head of Group Identity and Communication, has vowed that he “will help colleagues speak up and share their ideas” and dedicate quality “catch up” time with new recruits, especially those in junior roles. While Guglielmo Zadra, Head of Group Regulatory Affairs, will also “listen to everyone’s perspective because more ideas are better than one.”

We believe that if we all commit to doing ONE thing to improve ourselves, the ripple effect will catch fire to build better people, stronger teams, and a greater organisation.