Working from home - 10 reflections

No one could have imagined that working from home would become so common across the globe so quickly. We started working from home in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing in early February. I was intrigued about how colleagues would find this, so we conducted a mini email survey among 72 colleagues in our three Greater China offices and I wanted to share some of the insights we gained with you.

We seem to have come the full circle. Our early ancestors all worked where they lived with their livestock and basic tools close by. There is limited evidence that the first “office” originated in Ancient Rome and many have seen pictures of monks copying manuscripts in the 16th century in large quiet spaces. It was not until the 18th century when trade increased that office buildings began to appear in response to the need for dedicated spaces for people to focus on their work. We then saw skyscrapers built on both sides of the Atlantic which reinforced the “office” as the predominant place of work. 

Inside those offices, designs evolved in the early 20th century from open plan for maximum efficiency to cubicles for enhanced privacy, then back to the more recent open spaces to facilitate increased use of technology and agile working. Today, we like having different spaces for different activities, like break-out areas, collaboration zones and wellbeing spaces, all of which we are lucky enough to have in Hong Kong.

In future, our colleagues expect to see more automation, less physical storage space, and much greater use of video conferencing. If most of our day-to-day work can be done at home, offices may become “hubs” and even more important places for building connections, camaraderie and relationships with colleagues. So will face-to-face town halls, away days and conferences – especially for those new to our firm. Hanging gardens, balconies and any outdoor space will be highly desirable – a dream for places like Hong Kong. 

There are clearly advantages to working from home. Feedback from our survey mentioned a wide range of benefits from saving time commuting, more flexibility to manage domestic responsibilities, fewer interruptions and distractions, more focused thinking and higher productivity, no dress code, greater comfort in a more relaxed environment, more fresh air outside an air conditioned office, the feeling of being trusted as an employee, the chance to be closer to family members, and healthier home meals. Then there are the environmental benefits: not contributing to traffic pollution, no unnecessary printing of documents, and of course doing your bit in the collective effort to contain coronavirus. 

But there are also downsides and people have clearly experienced certain frustrations working from home. Feedback included not having the same office set up at home with no printer / scanner or large dual monitors, no standing desk and unreliable WiFi. We cannot easily access bibles, precedents or law books. We miss our onsite IT, secretarial and office support. Simple tasks like exchanging original signatures for signing and closing have become more difficult. Not being able to print documents is sometimes a challenge. We also miss face-to face brainstorming, sharing ideas and social interaction with our colleagues. Supervising junior colleagues becomes less easy and they may lack the opportunity to learn from more experienced colleagues. We also worry about being disconnected and not receiving enough feedback. 

My own preference is to work in the office, though I have often had to work on the road including at airports. Having to work from home was a bit disorientating at first. Being a mother (although my kids have now left the nest), I know how difficult it is for those with young children when home and work environments effectively merge. Having spent six weeks working mostly at home (as we were encouraged to do almost throughout), here are my 10 reflections on the experience.

1. There should no longer be any stigma attached to working from home. I see no need to second guess whether colleagues are working at their best from home. Working from home can be made to work. Our survey indicated that the vast majority of our colleagues prefer a combination of working from home and in the office. After getting used to it in recent weeks, I now fall within this camp too. We should leverage our experience of working from home to build our agile working policy into one that is easy to use, benefits everyone and can drive increased job satisfaction while adding value to the firm. Our policy should be the envy of our peers.  
2. Working from home starts with having a dedicated space and a good chair. Many do not have the luxury of a home office (I have just occupied my dining table). Make the most of the technology we have access to. A study conducted by the University of Utah suggests that users with bigger monitors are able to complete tasks 52 per cent faster than those with smaller monitors. I am a bit behind here – I just work on my two iPads (yes two) and an iPhone. The quality and reliability of our IT whilst working remotely couldn’t be more important and we must continue to invest, upgrade and ensure we have the best kit to support our work whether at home or in the office. 
3. Establish some ground rules with your family or those who you live with. I know this is not always easy to do. But agreeing on things like who makes lunch should make things smoother (at least, that is the idea.) I make lunch as it helps to me to switch off a bit and enables me to cook whatever I like! Treasure the opportunity to do things you normally wouldn’t have time to do with your loved ones. 
4. Flexibility is a great motivator as you can be more in control of your time, which offsets the constant demands from our client work. But, away from the office, you need to devise your own routine and structure. I have found I have to be even more organised. Plan your day before you start – a to-do list is a great way to decide on what tasks I want to complete and what calls I want to make each day. Be outcome focused.  
5. Stay connected with clients and colleagues. Communication and engagement are so important at times like this. We have a range of technologies at our disposal such as Dingtalk, FaceTime, Skype, Slack, WeChat, WhatsApp, Zoom and now Microsoft Teams, as well as Houseparty. Remember, connection helps with bonding, empathy and wellness and we cannot do enough of it in times like these. Make time for a virtual coffee break. 
6. Find time to do something for yourself each day to stay fit and healthy. Even where lockdowns are in place, one form of outdoor exercise each day is allowed almost everywhere. Take full advantage of this. Research has shown that it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a new habit. Make the most of this continued work from home time to do something for yourself. Mine is a very brisk walk every day.  
7. Reassuringly, the most commonly used word by colleagues in our survey was “team” (mentioned 79 times). Other commonly used words were: flexibility (69 times), efficiency/efficient (63 times), communication (44 times), commute (36 times), social (33 times), technology (32 times), productivity/productive (30 times) and balance (30 times). So, even when we cannot meet each other, let’s continue to think as a team, act as a team and be a team. 
8. Everyone is now grounded and for those of us who are used to frequent travel, this can feel dislocated. But with all the communication technology we have, we can still connect with overseas contacts effectively. In the past six weeks, we have used VC many times to participate in pitches (one of which involved five jurisdictions – and we won it!) I have also noticed that our skies are bluer and the air quality is better. Not flying constantly has also helped me to slow down and focus on what is truly important. When we can fly again, we should ask if flying is absolutely necessary. We should all help in whatever way we can to reduce carbon emissions.  
9. I know this is a worrying time of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty for many of us. It is good to remind ourselves that Freshfields was founded in 1743 and has sustained itself through two and a half centuries of evolution and change. Many of our partners (including myself ) have seen many crises in our time, including the Asian financial crisis, 9/11 and the 2009 financial crisis. This time will pass and I am confident that we will ride it out and emerge even stronger. 
10. I am an optimist and I am hopeful that good will come out of these challenging and uncertain times. There will be much rethinking of many aspects of our social and economic life. I hope to see a collective focus on creating the world we want to live in, together raising hygiene standards and investing more in healthcare infrastructure around the world. Meanwhile, we need to stay calm, manage our own expectations, not be complacent but stay positive. I also hope that this period will allow us to reflect on how we should work to bring out the best in each other and to deepen relationships with colleagues and clients to do the best work we can for them. This will perpetuate the good name of our firm. 

Finally, my heartfelt thanks to all those who are working at the front line of this crisis, including in the medical profession, online services, supermarkets, transportation and other essential services that keep our communities supported and working. Some of them will of course be the family members or friends of our colleagues. I salute their dedication and unyielding service. To all of them and all of our colleagues, clients, friends and supporters of Freshfields: stay well and stay healthy.