ING Türkiye: Flexible Work in a Competitive Banking Environment

This case explores ING Türkiye’s journey toward workplace flexibility within the traditionally conservative Turkish banking sector. Beginning with early remote work experiments in 2015 and culminating in the FlexING model, by 2024 ING Türkiye had positioned itself as a digital-first bank that prioritized employee well-being and autonomy. The bank’s hybrid work model—supported by agile structures, customized benefits, and values-driven performance management—helped to attract talent and encourage cultural transformation. However, amid rising economic pressures, declining employee satisfaction, and growing competition from other banks offering flexible work options, ING Türkiye faced new strategic challenges. Managers found it increasingly difficult to coordinate teams, support development, and ensure fair performance evaluations in a less structured environment. As global and local trends shifted back toward office-centric norms, CEO Alper Gökgöz and his leadership team had to decide whether to maintain their flexible model or adapt it to meet emerging organizational and market demands.