Employer Spotlight: Wabtec Corporation
The year of 2020 will go down in history for a number of reasons, including a global pandemic, a major presidential election and the widespread adoption of telework. At Livable Buckhead, we believe the latter of the three will have some of the longest-lasting impacts. We are already seeing considerable changes to policies, office space and work culture as companies look for ways to hold on to the benefits of remote work arrangements without losing the advantages of face-to-face interaction.
Wabtec Corp., a leading global transportation provider, has been working since March to determine what strategies and programs will work best for its employees, both now and in the future. Prior to the pandemic, Wabtec had about 130 employees working out of its Buckhead office, with parking, flexible expenses and alternative schedules already baked into the benefits program. When the pandemic hit, Wabtec transitioned all employees from the office to working at home full-time. As part of a global company, Atlanta-based employees were already comfortable using technology to connect with colleagues across the country and around the world, simplifying the move to full-time teleworking.
This experience has led Wabtec to consider offering even greater flexibility for its workforce. The company believes that teamwork is key to success, so they are exploring technology, collaboration tools, and on-boarding processes that will be effective in a remote work environment. Wabtec is also analyzing its future need for office space and how that space will function. For example, offices may become more of a place for meetings, events, mentoring and essential in-person interaction and less for day-to-day job functions. Some of this analysis includes Wabtec’s work with Livable Buckhead, as our telework specialist facilitated focus groups with employees and managers. These open discussions gave Wabtec a deeper look into what their employees were facing as well as what they were expecting in the future.
Training new team members remotely has been a challenge for Wabtec. Company leadership is looking at ways to offer effective support and mentoring in either a remote or hybrid process. No matter how effective remote work arrangements are at Wabtec, its physical office in Buckhead will remain an important hub for the company. “There’s a great talent pool, direct access to customers, and easy accessibility,” says Livia Bicalho, senior HR business partner at Wabtec.
Looking ahead, Wabtec’s main goal is to hold on to the increased productivity of telework while adding back the necessary employee interaction and collaboration. Not only will these changes allow for greater flexibility, but they will also relieve employees of the inevitable return of commute stress due to traffic, a major employee concern. As Wabtec paints a clearer picture of a world after the pandemic, it is determined to make improvements that will impact the company, its employees and the community as a whole.
