Protective Life Announces Expanded Virtual Workforce
Protective Life Corporation has announced an expansion of its virtual workforce, shifting its focus to three core sites in Birmingham, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. With over 40% of its workforce expected to work virtually, this move follows a successful remote work model where 95% of employees have been working from home. The company plans to close physical offices in six locations over the next few years, promoting flexibility while maintaining operational effectiveness. President and CEO Rich Bielen highlighted the benefits of this strategy for growth and talent attraction.
- Over 40% of the workforce will transition to a full-time virtual model, enhancing flexibility.
- The decision to focus on three core sites supports operational effectiveness and talent recruitment.
- High employee performance during remote work suggests potential for increased productivity.
- Closure of six physical office locations may lead to employee relocation challenges.
- Transition to a virtual workforce could cause potential impacts on company culture.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Protective Life Corporation (Protective), a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (TSE:8750), announced today the expansion of its virtual workforce, as the company refocuses its physical location footprint on three core sites in Birmingham, Cincinnati and St. Louis. Employees who regularly work in six Protective offices will join the company’s full-time virtual workforce, which is expected to represent over
Prior to the pandemic, approximately
“As we look to the future with a focus on growth and scale, we know there are benefits to expanding our virtual workforce, and throughout the pandemic, we have learned our employees can succeed in the virtual environment,” said Rich Bielen, Protective President and Chief Executive Officer. “Together, our virtual workforce and three core sites will complement each other, enabling us to serve more customers, deliver excellent partnerships, further attract talent, support our employees and increase our impact in the communities where we live and work.”
Protective’s strategically selected core sites offer a unique combination of existing talent, recruiting resources and proximity to key business partners that support the company’s growth needs. In addition, its expanded virtual workforce provides more flexibility for employees while enabling productivity and driving operational effectiveness.
“Over the past six months, staying connected with each other has been a key driver of our success, and Protective will continue investing in the technology, capabilities and resources to support our teams as we continue to evolve the way we work,” Bielen continued.
Over the next couple of years, Protective will retire its physical offices in Bannockburn, Ill.; Brentwood, Tenn.; Denver; Elgin, Ill.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Portsmouth, N.H. As employees who work in these sites join Protective’s full-time virtual workforce, the company remains committed to providing resources to help them thrive in this new environment.
Under this innovative workplace model, Protective will continue to focus on delivering high-quality, trusted support to its distribution partners and millions of customers across the country.
About Protective Life Corporation
Protective Life Corporation (Protective) provides financial services through the production, distribution and administration of insurance and investment products throughout the U.S. Protective traces its roots to its flagship company, Protective Life Insurance Company – founded in 1907. Throughout its more than 110-year history, Protective’s growth and success can be largely attributed to its ongoing commitment to serving people and doing the right thing – for its employees, distributors, and most importantly, its customers. Protective’s home office is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and its 3,000+ employees work across the United States. As of June 30, 2020, Protective had assets of approximately
