Lánluas’ Remote-First Policy: Post-Pandemic Transformation

Explore how Lánluas’ remote-first working policy transformed operations post-pandemic, benefiting clients and employees with improved work-life balance.

In the wake of the pandemic, many organisations found themselves grappling with the sudden shift to remote work. Like many companies, this served as a catalyst for change for Lánluas, leading to the implementation of a remote-first working policy. This has since revolutionised the way we operate and improved both the work-life balance of our team and our industry-recognised client-centric business model.

We demonstrated that we were able to support clients without being onsite and offer a wider range of skills and experience to clients in different geographical limitations.

Our Net Promoter Score of 32 is almost twice that of the IT service and consulting industry averages—17 and 18, respectively, and we have a client satisfaction score of 96 per cent.

Central to the decision to adopt a remote-first policy beyond the pandemic was the realisation that remote work offered unprecedented opportunities for flexibility and inclusivity for our workforce and for our clients. By removing geographical barriers and enabling consultants to work from anywhere, Lánluas could better support clients regardless of location.

Benefits for All

Many of our clients are located outside the major city centres and being onsite limited us with travel and availability. Consultants sometimes needed to travel on a weekend to start work onsite on a Monday, cutting into their personal time. We have since expanded our operations to New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and remote-first enables our consultants to support clients in all 3 geographies, regardless of where their home location is. With consultants now able to support remotely, clients benefit from increased accessibility and improved service delivery.

For our entire team, the shift to a remote-first model brought about tangible benefits that positively impacted their work and personal lives. With travel removed from their daily routines or interrupting their weekends, consultants enjoy a better work-life balance, enabling them to allocate more time for family, hobbies, and personal pursuits. Moreover, the remote-first policy enables consultants to work on a wider variety of projects and collaborate with colleagues from different regions, thereby enhancing their professional development and expanding their skillsets. The work-life balance has also been greatly enhanced for our non-consulting staff, who can choose whether to work from the office or from home and are based around the countries where we operate.  

We recently received Great Place to Work® Certification^TM with 100% of our staff saying management trust people to do a good job without watching over their shoulders, ahead of the industry average, with 97% saying Lánluas is a great place to work, and 93% stating people are encouraged to balance their work life and personal life.

Client based metrics also show that the policy is working well. Our Net Promoter Score of 32 is almost twice that of the IT service and consulting industry averages—17 and 18, respectively, and we have a client satisfaction score of 96 per cent.

The Personal Perspective

Hershini Abeygunawardena, one of our TechnologyOne consultants who previously commuted six hours a day for a previous job she loved, says, “Remote-first working is a godsend as a mum of two kids. I always believe that remote-first working is more productive since I can be available if my kids need me and still get quality work done. Remote-first working is all about self-discipline and motivation. Your performance will judge your productivity.

“After joining a remote-first company, I have found the perfect work-life balance. Now I don’t have to worry about kids’ school drop off. I have my comfy place, comfy clothes, relaxed mindset and no more commute stress. There is no place like home. So, I’m grateful that I’m part of a remote-first company.”

Hershini Abeygunawardena, TechnologyOne Consultant

Steve Victor is our New Zealand Country Manager and works remotely in Aukland, away from his New Zealand-based consultants who are located in the Wellington region, as well as remotely from his Australian counterparts who are based in Victoria, South Australia, and New South Wales.

He says, “Remote-first makes me feel more efficient and effective with my days’ work ahead. I can usually be more responsive being at my desk more often than when I would usually have commuting time at the start and end of the day.” Steve often works in a shared office space, as he enjoys the office vibe and has met many new people who are all in similar situations, enjoying remote work with all the technology at their fingertips.

Also based in New Zealand, Lorraine Sinnott, Principal Consultant, notes the financial and environmental benefits of not commuting are significant.

“With more businesses now starting to enforce staff coming back to the office, the increasing price of fuel and parking, not to mention the time wasted in traffic, are additional burdens employees need to carry. Indeed, there has been a big increase in these costs since the pandemic, and working remotely is a cost-saving for our clients who would need to pay travel costs as well as consultancy fees. There is also the fact that no commuting means fewer daily emissions into the environment, which is a win for everybody.”

Lorraine Sinnott, Principal Consultant

Why it Works

Reflecting on the success of our remote-first policy, the message to other companies contemplating a similar approach is clear: embrace flexibility and invest in technology that enables seamless remote collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and training via internal communication tools.

Staff will likely enjoy the flexibility and variety of work, creating an environment of greater employee satisfaction; happy employees are productive employees.  Feedback from clients shows an enhanced, positive experience with greater access to a wider range of expertise and experience, and less of the traditional costs associated with consulting services.

By Keri Vicini, Resource and Operations Manager, Lánluas