MSCI will not go back to normal

There is no doubt the Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the world and life as we knew it. There was loss of precious life, much uncertainty and fear, disruption to the global economy, and increased levels of inequality around the world. In the face of all this tragedy, it is human nature to look for the bright spots. One that I have found is that in many ways, the global pandemic freed us from old norms and expectations and from historical practices and assumptions about how businesses need to operate.

I have found the virtual world to be a democratizer and an equalizer. Barriers, hierarchy and formalities have been broken down. We have seen the inside of each other’s living rooms and our camera boxes during virtual meetings are of equal size, no matter where we are working from or who we are talking to, creating greater opportunities for participation and collaboration and stronger connections than we ever thought possible.?

We cannot leave this crisis behind and simply “go back to normal” as if this period did not happen or matter. We owe it to those who have been impacted by the pandemic and use its implications and lessons learned to take a major step forward in the development of humanity. This is an extraordinary, once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape our vision of how we work.

MSCI will not go back to “normal” once the pandemic has subsided. We see this as a chance to shape our firm’s future – to be bold, to think differently and make radical changes in how we work and interact. How do we create a future that takes the best of both our virtual and in-person worlds to empower people to be more productive, flexible and creative than ever?

In June of 2020, we announced an innovation initiative called the Future of Work at MSCI. Over the past year, leaders from different functions within the firm came together and used what we learned during the pandemic and employee feedback and insights to construct a new, modern way of working that makes sense for our clients, our firm and our employees.

The Future of Work at MSCI is more than simply working from home. It is a transformational framework that defines the inherent flexibility of every role at the firm. It will unleash employees from behind their desks and introduce a hybrid work environment for a vast majority of MSCI employees. It is a reimagination of our physical offices to become hubs that buzz with innovation, socialization and collaboration and where employees gather to accelerate transformative ideas and conduct critical operations. And, with the Future of Work at MSCI, we will harness the power of technology to enhance the client experience, improve collaboration and modernize our workplaces.

The Future of Work at MSCI is a commitment to our clients and employees that we are focused on the future, not on retrofitting old, and in many ways broken, ways of working into a new reality. Above all else, this initiative stems from our culture which is built on a strong foundation of trust. We’ve seen firsthand that when we place trust in our people and they trust MSCI to support them, we see outcomes of excellent performance, engagement and accountability.

We realize that much of this is an experiment. There are going to be things we get right and times when we encounter challenges along the way. We believe this work will be iterative and adaptable, and feedback from our employees will be critical to ensure it remains relevant and positions MSCI and its employees for success.

MSCI is at the forefront of the world’s new way of working. We are forging our own path, embracing a bold approach and building a future of work together that is best for our clients and our firm.?