How we got back to our London office.

‘We are in the office’. Who knew that that simple statement would cause so much attention and comment but this is what it is like to be a ‘pioneer’ in the ‘new normal’.

To give you a bit of context, ING is a marketing and communications agency that specialises in the built environment. The elevator pitch is that we cover the whole ecosystem, from property to architecture and design, planning, construction, development, public policy and the materials, products and services that go into our finished places. Some of this work can be done from home. A lot of it can’t given the need to be fully immersed in the product we are supporting – the city around us.

We were enthusiastic lockdowners and had no doubt about the importance of helping to flatten the curve, build capacity in the NHS and save lives. Our fabulous Operations Director was jumping on our team and visitors to wash their hands and sanitise from February and we put in place emergency IT measures very early on. When lockdown came, we were well prepared and didn’t miss an hour of operating time. It was an emotional time and I still marvel at how our team performed and the overwhelming support from clients. I can remember at the time saying ‘this is the easy bit – the hard part will be trying to come out’. How right I was. As many of you consider the return to the office, here is our story and where we have got to. It’s an evolving process, so we still have a way to go but have made excellent progress.

For me personally and a handful of the ING team, the return to the office felt natural. From the outset, we had had one person in the office every day to check on security and IT and as I was one of these I had always remained connected with the city. I also observed the population of construction workers, bus drivers, security and cleaners who kept the city working. What I hadn’t appreciated was the genuine fear and nervousness o some to leave their homes. For others, #wfh was enjoyable and who can blame them for wanting it to last.

We first ‘re-opened’ the office on a voluntary basis in mid-May. There were a few people who preferred to work from the office for a variety of reasons, including a sense of isolation. It was great to see them and have a socially distanced coffee. However, the downside was that with Zoom calls, there was very little opportunity to get a sense of team-work within the office as the majority of the team were still #wfh and we were still living the life of the digital meeting.

At the same time, the Government advice became more confusing. Guidance about non-essential retail, childcare, garden centres, real estate agents, holidays, pubs and restaurants came yet nothing about offices. I was reliably informed that there was a strong chance that there would never be adjusted guidance for the office. The underlying message was clearly ‘make your own judgment’.

And this is where things got tricky. There was a common assumption that all office-based workers can work effectively from home. Our very niche, specialist business had become lumped in with a homogenous mass where the only common denominator was that we sometimes worked from a computer. The fact that we managed to #wfh in a national emergency was being seriously confused with what we could do successfully in the long term. The daily diet of articles heralding the end of the office, as ‘responsible’ companies mothballed their workplaces for the wellbeing of their staff, added to the confusion.

It was a discombobulating time. I would cycle to and from the office each day through the festival atmosphere of London Fields and Broadway market where thousands gathered to spend the day in an almost deserted Shoreditch.

The fact that a number of clients and companies in our sector were ‘back’ and the official announcement about pubs and restaurants being able to open on July 4 was a key moment for me. A decision needed to be made which was right for ING and as the founder and the person who had chaperoned it through two economic crisis, I felt I was the right person to make that call. We put June 29 in our diaries and began to plan from there. It was less about returning to the office and more about ‘leaving home’.

We had already implemented strict social distancing protocols and made the office Covid-safe and secure. However, we decided to get a second opinion and commissioned an external company to conduct a full risk assessment. They made some minor but very helpful suggestions.

I also consulted with a number of lawyers about HR issues related to Covid. They set our minds to rest that we were acting in full compliance with the guidance and the law.

We made sure that anyone shielding or living with a shielded person, in a high-risk age bracket or those who had underlying health issues were exempt from the return to the office.

We then sent out a note to our team stating that June 29 was the return to the office day. It’s fair to say that the response was mixed. We followed up with a staff survey that in the true spirit of ING, produced very full and frank opinions and suggestions.

We took those on board and then refined our plans to allow everyone to work 3 days in the office and 2 days at home, allowing us to manage numbers and a phased return. We also implemented a dashboard system which we review weekly, tracking who is in our office and what clients are also working from the office and back in circulation.

In the lead-up to the return we encouraged people to come and try the office and test their modes of travel. The majority are able to get to the office without public transport but there are a few that cannot avoid it. That was an area that we couldn’t help with but we are very fortunate that the individuals concerned managed to adjust their routes and it wasn’t as bad as they thought it might be.

Monday, June 29 arrived and the first day was slightly alien. Everyone was on their best behaviour and very respectful of space. By Wednesday there was a lot of chatter and laughter. By Friday, there were socially distanced drinks on the terrace.

What we have learnt? People are nervous to make the first step but can be reassured once they see the measures that have been taken to make them safe. Continual communication is key and always encouraging feedback and asking what we can do better. The timing has been just about right. As people are heading out to enjoy hospitality, the office is less daunting. On a very practical level, it’s best to wear flat, soft soled shoes on our wooden flooring. The click-clack of heels when you are on a zoom call is very annoying. Half live/half zoom calls are challenging but we are figuring out how to manage. Socially distanced walks around our area have become a wonderful way of breaking the day, re-bonding with colleagues and retaining some of the joy of lockdown. We work better together, thriving in the dense mix of built environment activity.

As a leader of a business it has been a hugely unsettling time with many sleepless nights. The issue of illness caused by Covid is never out of my thoughts. However, the landscape is now very complicated and our economic health is of deep concern. I have always cared very deeply about the team and tried to lead from the front and work from what I believe are a very strong set of values. It has been so strange to be seen as some sort of maverick simply because you want to go out to work.

It’s been quite a time but I am glad we pushed through and we are no longer focused on ‘how’ to get back to the office but how we can make our office life better than before.