Costa Cruises has launched “The “Sm@rt Working Costa – Moving Forward!” program, targeted at around 1,300 employees enabling them to work from home one day per week.

Employees in the Costa offices will be able to work from home or another suitable location of their choice one day a week using laptops, an internet connection and a softphone program, which also enables them to use remote instant messaging, telephone, HD video, conference and voicemail services with visual interface and desktop sharing, the company said.

The program has already been launched at the company’s Genoa head office, which has about 1,000 employees.

This follows on from a pilot phase that involved two departments (Human Resources and IT) with participation levels of around 90 percent.

By the end of the year smart working will gradually be extended to all of the company’s international offices in Europe and America, the company said. 

“We are proud to be the first cruise company to believe in smart working and one of the five companies acknowledged by the Observatory of Politecnico di Milano in Italy. For us this project means putting our trust in people, giving them the chance to freely organise their work according to their goals and responsibilities, allowing them to explore their potential more fully and improving their quality of life,” commented Paolo Tolle, VP Human Resources at Costa Cruises.

The immediate benefits include a reduction in commuting times – over an hour a day on average for Costa employees – and greater sustainability from an environmental perspective, Costa said.