Publicis Groupe has unveiled a new scheme which will enable all agency staff to work remotely from any of its 100 offices around the world for up to six weeks a year, in what it claims is a global first.
The “Work Your World” programme will launch in January and aims to take hybrid working to the next level through the group’s AI-powered platform, Marcel, set up in 2017.
Through the landing page on Marcel, employees will be able to browse local and global destinations, selected for them by AI, in over 100 countries where Publicis has offices.
They will also see updates on accessible countries and locations, with information on local health and business regulations, to take the necessary measures and precautions before travel.
In addition, there will a feature called Home Swap Home that is open exclusively to the Publicis community, which enables staff to share and swap accommodation with colleagues.
Meanwhile, staff will be able to connect with other employees in different countries, via Marcel’s profile intelligence, to discover what it is like to live and work in a given location the best time to go, and more.
Finally, staff will have access to a dedicated 24-hour contact centre, to receive real-time support from experts for questions related to travel, health regulations, visas and work permits.
Publicis Groupe global chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun said the group had been “working hard” on how to turn the hybrid world into new opportunities for everyone at Publicis, and make the future of work more creative and more daring.
He added: “We know the pandemic isn’t over, and we know that the world could close again at any time. But that’s not a reason to close our horizons and perspectives. We will continue to move forward, because one day this crisis will come to an end and because we owe it to our people to make their professional and personal experience at Publicis truly unique.”
Publicis Groupe global chief strategy officer Carla Serrano added: “Our people have been incredibly resourceful despite the limitations of the pandemic. They deserve to work for a company as resourceful as they are. Work Your World can help every Publicis employee ‘work their world’ in a bigger, better and brighter way thanks to our scale, diversity and Marcel.”
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