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Direct Line Group

Flexible Working

Here at Direct Line Group we support our people to work at their best. And we know that offering choice, flexibility and a good work life balance help us to achieve that.

We all have different things that matter to us – whether that’s driven by our stage of life, external commitments or personal interests. We value these differences and are committed to supporting your unique blend of work and home life where we can.

That’s why we offer a variety of working arrangements – from how you divide the time you spend working at home and in the office, to flexibility in the hours you work. It includes different working patterns, being flexible to support outside of work activities, supporting you in times of crisis, and understanding changing needs which might include when you are expecting an addition to your family, winding down to retirement or when you need to care for others.

These arrangements will depend on the type of role you do and the area of the business you work in. Speak to your hiring manager or recruiter to find out what’s possible in the role you’re applying for. It’s about finding the right balance that works for you, our business and our customers.

 

Where you work

We’ve introduced a hybrid working model at Direct Line Group, where most of our people split their time between home and the office. There are also some people who will spend most of their time working from home, and some who will spend most of their time working from a site.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach across Direct Line Group, so we’ve created a simple framework with three areas – hybrid working, home first and location first.

 

Hybrid working

Most of our people split their time between home and the office, including those in our customer-facing and central function roles. There are lots of positives about working from home – it can be a quiet place to focus and get things done, it provides flexibility between personal and work commitments and less time is spent commuting. But it’s also important that we can connect with each other, and you can’t beat doing that in person. Spending time working together in our offices, sharing ideas, collaborating on projects, or having a natter over a break.

How much time our people time spend working at home versus the office will vary for each business area and team, depending on the requirements of the role and how often you need to be in the office. It could vary from a couple of days a week to a couple of times a month.

 

Home first

There are some people who work from home most of the time, including people we’ve recruited on that basis. We know that for them connecting with their colleagues is just as important – and we’ll provide ways to strengthen those relationships and explore opportunities for them to spend time at a Direct Line Group site during the year.

 

Location first

Some roles by their very nature are based 100% at one of our sites, for example colleagues who support our customers in our Auto Services repair centres.

 

The hours and pattern you work

Normal working hours mean different things to different people. We welcome applications for full time, part-time, job sharing or flexible hours for the majority of our roles. We’ll always aim to support flexible working where we can, but this will of course depend on the role and area of the business. Some of our customer facing teams and Auto Services repair centres have specific shift patterns which your hiring manager or recruiter will be able to share.

Here are some of the options available:

  • Full time – You’ll work a standard number of full time hours across set days each week or a variable shift pattern each week.
  • Part time – You’ll work fewer hours a week than someone on a full time contract, either by working on fewer days, or for fewer hours each day
  • Job share – You and a colleague share the duties of one full time job, with each of you working part time hours
  • Flexible start/finish times – Vary your start and finish times, covering core working hours, completing your contracted hours in the way that suits you best
  • Compressed hours – You compress your regular normal working week into fewer days for example a nine-day fortnight

 

Parental and other leave

Whether parents, grandparents, carers or pursuing your dreams in other ways, we want to help you focus on the things that are important to you.

That’s why we have a range of policies to support you to do the things that matter to you outside of work so you can flourish and thrive in work. They recognise the fact that everyone’s circumstances are different and are the starting point for you to have a conversation with your people leader about balancing the things that matter in your life.

Support at Direct Line Group includes:

  • Employees with at least one year’s service receive full pay during the first 20 weeks of maternity and adoption leave. Those with six months’ service receive full pay during the first 10 weeks whilst all core benefits remain in place for all employees.
  • Shared parental leave and pay mirrors our maternity and adoption benefits and our employees can ask to split their leave into shorter periods with periods of work in between.
  • Up to 12 weeks’ full pay as part of a phased return to work following a period of maternity/adoption/shared parental leave for all employees.
  • Two weeks’ paid paternity leave for all employees.
  • Up to four weeks’ unpaid parental leave each year is also available to all parents, carers and grandparents (recognising the increasingly important role that they play in childcare).
  • A period of paid compassionate leave can be agreed for anyone experiencing, for example, the bereavement, or serious illness of, a close relative or dependent.
  • Paid time off and/or flexible working arrangements can be agreed during IVF investigations and treatment.
  • Up to 12 months unpaid lifestyle break for anyone wishing to pursue something that really matters to them such as volunteering, travelling, extending maternity leave or re-training.
  • Reasonable time off to deal with emergencies involving those that depend on them.

 

The benefits we offer

Our approach to flexibility is not only reflected in the way we work, but also in the benefits we offer. Our core benefits include, a 9% pension contribution, generous holidays, life insurance, income protection and 50% off home, motor and pet insurance. We have a range of flexible benefits so you can choose what suits your lifestyle including a buy as you earn share scheme, private medical insurance, dental insurance and company car and cycle to work schemes.