
FLEXWORK Creates Freedom to Move
Avis Lewis, Professional Services Program Manager I’ve been very lucky in that FLEXWORK is playing a big role in both my personal and career development.
Being one of the first to send our employees home in March 2020, the team at Palo Alto Networks braced for what the following few weeks had in store. Like many others, this was a new moment for us. While we expected to be back in the office shortly after, we quickly learned this was not going to happen.
What could we do?
There was really only one option: We seized the moment as an opportunity to revolutionize how work is done. I am not exaggerating!
We formed our philosophy, together, with our employees and developed FLEXWORK. This approach allowed our employees to choose where they worked, the tools they needed to be productive, the benefits that best suited their lifestyle and needs, as well as educational programs that interested them.
We activated our global teams, delivering security solutions to help our customers remain protected as they, too, quickly pivoted to a fully remote workforce. Digital transformation and comprehensive cybersecurity solutions were instrumental in enabling this swift transition, empowering organizations to confidently, and most importantly, securely work from anywhere.
To be honest, we were amazed – but not surprised – to see our employees exceed our expectations through this highly tumultuous time. It didn’t take long for us to realize this was not just the way to work during the pandemic. But rather, this was how Palo Alto Networks should approach work for the long term.
Today, as many organizations begin returning to the office, we remain committed to FLEXWORK and will continue to shape and adapt as we go. If nothing else, we’ve learned a fundamental lesson throughout the pandemic – as long as there is alignment on expectations, goals and milestones, we do not need all of our people doing the same thing. They don’t need to be sitting by our side.
With the influence of our employees' truly rich conversations, we realized that FLEXWORK could be so much more. What started with a focus on work location expanded to personalized benefits, well-being benefits and education, as well as a global benefits program for employees to spend $1,000 on items that are meaningful to them. We have programs that help our employees connect with each other based on interest and even personalized public holidays, so our employees can choose the days they want to observe.
As I said earlier, we’re on a journey and I anticipate we’ll be able to do even more to disrupt how we work. When you lead with employee choice and trust, the sky really is the limit. Throughout the pandemic, we have wholeheartedly trusted our employees to choose what they need and our teams have not missed a beat. Just like the needs of our employees around the world, we will continue to evolve FLEXWORK together.
Avis Lewis, Professional Services Program Manager I’ve been very lucky in that FLEXWORK is playing a big role in both my personal and career development.
Sofia Dona, Operations Manager, Safety & Security The introduction of FLEXBenefits was a welcome surprise that came along at a perfect time during the most turbulent year in recent history. In fact, it’s been among the best things about working…
Edward Hall, Systems Engineer I spent my FLEXBenefits Bonus on trying out board games like Dominion, War Chest and Aquatica, which are made for two to four or five players, so you can play them with family or a bunch of friends. I also am using the…