I read that a large restaurant outside Dublin, has closed and the premises have been converted into offices which instantly sold out. The appeal was for people who wanted the opportunity to work locally avoiding a commute to the city.
The government is facilitating the planning process whereby High Street retail units can be converted to residential. Last year my daughter-in-law spent 2 weeks in August working remotely via her laptop in a French orchard under an apple tree.
It seems that previously the criteria for working at an office location was not so much based on good management strategy but more on the whim of the Board.
And I cannot see the ‘jolly’ of taking a business or first-class flight from Heathrow to New York for a meeting being a credible decision. The so-called advantage of establishing a personal association cannot be justified in the place of a skype, zoom or team meet considering the subsequent £5 - 7,000 saving.
Recently I was on the DLR travelling from Greenwich to Heron Quays and was amazed at the number of new, high rise offices about to be completed. Commercial property must take a severe hit in these changing times. Not everyone of course can work from home and we are still on a journey with an unknown destination.
As I outlined in my blog ‘Home Work’ working from home does not suit all personality types . In fact, the Supporter and Influencer personalities types crave interaction. Lockdown is lockout and meeting via an inanimate screen does not compensate. It is a too restrictive and to them a too artificial form of communication. The Influencer for example particularly enjoys being centre stage and talking. The screen does not accommodate or allow for these real life experiences.
Working remotely is not a new phenomenon and some companies have been embracing this modus operandi for several years. “There are many more people working from home...” has been a well-used cliché for some time. And yet this phenomenon should be reflected in travel and greater availability of vacant seats on trains. But as I arrive at Victoria or London Bridge Stations at 6.30 am they are crowded with people queuing for platforms or ticket barriers.Seems a contradiction and I am still looking for an answer.
Money will be the biggest decider in terms of the Covid legacy. Will employment hold up? Will more high value commercial property be converted to residential? Commercial properties can be a significant part of investment portfolios and a downgrade could have a very negative effect on pension funds. We are in a rapidly expanding high tech environment which can facilitate remote working. Banks have constantly been promoting their excellent personal customer relationship. How good that relationship is will now be determined by a internet link.
From September I shall be conducting for the first time my one to one leadership and career coaching sessions with MBA students via Skype and they will be embarking on a new blended learning curriculum.
I have just described a litany of observations from my perspective as Business Consultant and Career Coach. Some people will embrace and enjoy change. Others will be concerned as to where it is all going. I am also Chair of our local Beacon Good Neighbours and we have had the opportunity to bring some joy and reassurance into the lives of the lonely, disabled and worried.
For some the new normal will be the new abnormal and the lockdown will be their lockin. Working from home can create a sense of isolationism and the anti-social norms of elbow knocking and ' keep away ' can be a difficult adjustment.
For others the thought of not having to run the engine to deice the windscreen whilst they grab a coffee and then to find that their train is cancelled and the next one running twenty minutes late is a relief beyond description.
Lets see if there is a surge in terms of office blocks converting to residential and our boarded up high street becoming a haven of activity whereby shop premises become a home or offices for the locals who need to get out of the house but without the de-icer.
A conclusive observation which may at the moment seem far fetched is that comerialism will have to incorporate an ethical component.
Currently indirectly or transparently profit is the exclusive go-to goal but now climate change and environmental sustainability has entered the stage.
Corporate Social Responsibility [ CSR ] will change the focus from being exclusively profit orientated to being more inclusive in terms of a more sympathetic approach to managing our environment.
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