A NATIONWIDE exec said the company remained “committed to Swindon” after announcing the closure of three offices.

The ending of the leases at offices at Wakefield House in Old Town and two buildings at Windmill Hill business park in West Swindon came about following an employee survey which suggested staff wanted to work from home more often.

Director of shared services Laura Faulkner said the decision was not linked to cost-saving or to any redundancies and that it was "too early to say" how much money the ending of the leases would save the business.

She added that paying for leases to the buildings when just six per cent of surveyed staff want to work in offices full-time is "not a good way to spend our members' money" and that despite the leases ending, this increased emphasis on working from home would not lead to less investment in Nationwide's remaining Swindon office spaces.

Ms Faulkner added: "Offices remain a vital part of the mix and we remain committed to Swindon are continuing to invest in our HQ and Ramsbury House.

“We will make sure colleagues have the desks and collaboration spaces they need so they can book them when they come into the office as well as having that social interaction by seeing their teammates and manager if they want to.

“It’s work from anywhere, whatever location helps them do their best work and best balances their home and work lives."

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During the pandemic, people working from home have seen heating and electricity bills soar while occasionally encountering issues with their Wi-Fi.

When asked whether any support would be available for employees to help deal with these extra problems, Laura explained that the finer details were still being worked out.

She added: "We are looking into this now. We set up a full programme and we are looking at technology and other policies and wellbeing.

"We are working through all this with our colleagues and the unions, making sure this commitment works and we respond to what they’re asking for.

“There’s lots to do so we are going to keep building on this and keep learning from them.

"The last year has shown how the pandemic has fundamentally changed how we work and we are looking at what the future means for us.

"We've had 13,000 people working from home, they adapted so well, we are proud of how they continued to serve our members."

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