Russia’s En+ Wants Half of Office Staff to Work at Home by 2025

(Bloomberg) -- En+ Group International PJSC, a power and aluminum group founded by billionaire Oleg Deripaska, plans to shift half its office employees to remote working by 2025 after the coronavirus pandemic lockdown showed it was an effective model.

While most of the group’s 90,000 employees work at industrial sites that span Siberian hydropower stations to aluminum smelters run by United Co. Rusal, En+ said the move will allow about 7,400 people to work from home, either partially or on a full-time basis. The shift in office workers will cut costs, although the savings have yet to be evaluated, according to Chief Financial Officer Mikhail Khardikov.

En+ has looked at what it can learn from the lockdown and this could be a win-win outcome, En+ Chairman Gregory Barker said in a phone interview.

“This gives our employees optionality and adds the flexibility to have a 21st century work-life balance,” Barker said.

With the growth in new Covid-19 cases slowing in Russia, many companies brought back employees to offices this month. However, Gazprombank PJSC is among lenders considering allowing staff to continue working from home after saying that has proved effective.

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